Heartless and Insensitive
by LeaderOfTheRevolution
Summary: ON HOLD. The criminal organization, Akatsuki, has just gained a new member! Spunky 22-yr-old Takara is placed in the care of Itachi Uchiha. Frankly, the bothersome girl annoys him to no end. How long will Takara last? ItachiXOC
1. Phase One: Enter: Takara!

Disclaimer: Sadly, i do not own Naruto. MY LIFE DREAM WILL NEVER HAPPEN! ahem, sorry bout that.

* * *

"Itachi."

Itachi Uchiha looked up. Pein stared at him.

"Show Takara around. You're in charge of her."

Itachi's black-eyed gaze drifted to the young woman standing partly in the shadows. Even from this distance, he could see how bright her sea-green eyes were. Though she was in the dark, he could tell she was smiling. Her hair was slightly past her shoulders and a lovely shade of dark green. She looked too delicate for the Akatsuki cloak she wore.

Takara, their newest recruit, was beautiful. Deidara had already attempted his first, but certainly not last, pickup line. Tobi had unleashed his chivalrous speech, to no avail. Pein hadn't done anything that Itachi had seen, but he did act a little awkward around her. Itachi could only guess she had already scorned him. The only ones who hadn't made a pass at her was Kisame and Zetsu. Konan had already yelled at Deidara. Apparently, females sided with each other.

Hidan and Kakuzu were dead, although Itachi was sure Kakuzu would have attempted something. Itachi himself was not interested in her. He nodded almost imperceptibly. Pein vanished, leaving the two. Takara didn't move.

"Itachi Uchiha, huh?" she said.

Itachi turned. "Let's go."

Takara frowned. "Yes, my name's Takara Ohiko. Thanks for asking. How're you? Fine, thanks."

She followed him out of the large, dimly lit room through a long hallway. There were doors on either side, rooms she assumed. Names were carved in the wood. On one door they passed, there was a large X across the name "Sasori". "Tobi" was now scratched beneath it. Takara turned her gaze back to the icy, silent man in front of her. She opened her mouth.

"Here's your room," he said suddenly. "Mine's next door. Try not to need me."

Takara frowned. "Gee, thanks."

He turned to meet her eyes. She met his stare defiantly.

"You don't want to look me in the eyes like that," he said.

"Why not?"

"Because I can do this."

He tilted her chin up, and suddenly his red eyes, the Sharingan, swirled. Her eyes widened almost unnoticeably.

Suddenly, visions entered her mind. A woman stalked toward her, a kunai raised.

"Die, monster!" she screamed.

The woman fell dead to the ground, her throat slit. Blood sprayed Takara. She barely flinched, staring straight ahead. A boy's gruesome remains appeared next to the woman's blood-drenched body. Takara's eyes widened as a wave of nausea suddenly overtook her. She bent over, retching.

All around her was darkness. Nothing was solid anymore. A mirror image of herself appeared in front of her. She moved her arm; it copied her. Suddenly, it transformed, the eyes widened and becoming bloodshot. Its hair grew long and wild and became black. It grinned evilly, baring fangs.

Takara stared back at it. It _was _her. She wanted to close her eyes but couldn't. To her horror, her vision blurred with tears. Drawing her arm back, she cocked her fist and slammed the thing right between its eyes. It was a mirror, she realized as it cracked. Her knuckles bled.

Itachi watched her reaction. He released the jutsu. She still stared at him.

"I'm not afraid of you," she said.

Suddenly, Itachi's fingertips burned where they touched her skin. He removed them, thinking maybe she had unleashed her own jutsu. Even after he wasn't touching her, however, his fingers tingled.

"Can I go into my room now?" Takara put her hand on the doorknob.

Her eyes widened slightly. Itachi's hand was suddenly grasping her wrist.

"What?" she asked, her eyes shadowed.

"Why aren't you scared of me?"

She felt like she should laugh. "I'm Akatsuki now, aren't I? Are the other members scared of you?"

"We all have a respectful fear for one another, yes."

"So the great Itachi Uchiha respectfully fears someone?"

"No."

Takara blinked, not looking at him.

"They are scared of me. Not other way around."

Itachi's hand was on fire now. This contact was killing him. _Why?_

"So, remind me again why I can't go into my room?"

Itachi slowly let go, wanting to just let his hand linger a few minutes more…

Itachi frowned in irritation. Why was he thinking that? What was wrong with him?

He stalked away, hearing Takara cheerfully say, "Someone's grumpy today."

He hid his hand under his long sleeve, not wanting to accept that he still could feel the sensation of her skin, soft under his touch.


	2. Phase Two: A Clever Plan

"Hey, Grandma Tsunade."

Tsunade looked up in surprise. Naruto, age sixteen, stood calmly in front of her desk. She smiled lightly.

"Hello, Naruto. What is it?"

"I request," he said, "a mission to search out the Akatsuki."

Tsunade blinked. "No, forget it."

Naruto scowled. "Granny Tsunade, they already have four Biju. They've almost got five. Pervy sage said so."

Tsunade didn't say anything for a while. "Tell me, Naruto. How does that apply to you?"

"Huh?"

"Unless the Akatsuki pose a threat to this village, this doesn't affect us. There's no need to get involved."

Naruto angrily put his hands down on her desk. "You don't understand, do you? They have four out of nine Biju. They almost have _five_. Do you have any idea how powerful they are now? They are _always _a threat, and we need to go after them to prevent them from getting any stronger."

Tsunade stared at him, glaring. She stood.

"Naruto, believe it or not, I have this under control."

"How?!"

"You aren't strong enough, yet." She flicked his forehead. "Go train. I'm handling this."

"But—"

"When you can prove you're strong enough, and once we have more information, I'll send you."

Naruto left her office, grumbling. Shizune, who'd been there the whole time, glanced nervously at Tsunade.

"You aren't going to send him, are you?"

Tsunade shook her head, sighing. "He may not like it, but we can't risk it at this point. Not now, not ever. What we need…is a spy."

"I have an idea," said Shizune.

Tsunade blinked.

"They want Biju, right?"

She nodded.

"If we had someone, not Naruto, another Jinchuriki, they could go undercover."

"Shizune, that's dangerous. If it fails, they have more power and we're left with squat."

"I never said it had to be a _real _Jinchuriki."

* * *

A/N: okay. review please. i will happily accept flames and anything you have to say about this, good or bad. i want to be a better writer, so, be as harsh as you need to be. by the way, sorry for the shortness of it. i was rushing when i wrote this. i'm kind of having trouble about what i'm going to do with Takara and Itachi.

P.S. if you dont like ItachiXOC pairings, too bad. dont read this then. if you want to, you can request a pairing. i dont care. i'll make a story using that pairing if you want.


	3. Phase Three: Beginning of the Chase

The next morning, Takara was awakened by a knock at her door. Groggy, still in the too-big shirt she slept in, she opened the door. She yawned. "What?"

"Let's get going," said Itachi. "We're going after a Jinchuriki today."

Then he noticed what she was wearing and raised his eyebrow.

Takara blinked. She looked down and blinked again. "Oh." She shrugged. "Give me a second."

Two minutes later, she was out the door, fully dressed, a pack on her back. As they walked down the hallway in silence, Takara ran a brush through her hair a few times.

_I can't believe the Akatsuki hideout is this beautiful house, _she thought.

True, they'd probably had to change locations several times, but this house was so large and gorgeous. There was a beach not far from here. It was so peaceful-looking.

"It's a nice house," she heard herself say out loud.

Immediately, she clamed her mouth shut. _Oops_. She wasn't scared of Itachi, exactly, but all the same, she really did not want to have that vision again. She had a feeling she might not hold up as well a second time.

"Yes, it is."

Takara worked hard to keep her mouth from dropping. She never thought Itachi would actually _agree_ with her.

"I suppose that's why I bought it."

Takara looked up at him. He wasn't all that much taller than her, but she wanted to see his face. She was only at eye-level with his shoulder. He wasn't looking at her.

"This is _your _house?" she asked.

Itachi nodded. "Yes. That's the reason I bought it. For the beauty. Old-fashioned, isn't it?"

Takara didn't know what to say. She was stumped. One, this was the most she'd ever heard Itachi talk. Two, he said he'd bought it for the _beauty_. Three, Takara had thought that Akatsuki members were cold-hearted killers. Apparently, three-fourths of the time, they were. But the remaining one-fourth…?

"We should be going." Itachi exited the house.

Takara almost hurried to catch up, but decided to go her own pace. Personally, she wasn't all that eager to go.

"Can we stop, Itachi?"

Without waiting for an answer, Takara plopped onto the ground.

"Oi," she said, fanning herself. "We've been going for two days straight. You can't possibly be not tired."

"We need to keep moving."

Takara froze. Itachi's voice sounded flatter and more forced than usual. That could only mean he was getting agitated.

She frowned. He had no right to be angry. "Look, Itachi, I understand how important this is, but what happens if the five-tailed Jinchuriki is more skilled than the others? This is a good possibility."

She could see his face clearly, as he'd zipped down the cloak partway. Takara herself wore it completely unzipped. When she saw him open his mouth to speak or protest, she interrupted.

"If that's the case, we won't be able to do much if we are sleep-deprived. Now, as it is dark, we sleep."

Itachi glared. "We need to keep going, Takara."

This was the first time he'd actually addressed her by her name, but she shook her head.

"Rest, Itachi, rest."

He strolled over to her, grasping her chin firmly between his thumb and forefinger. He tilted her head. She wrenched away from his touch.

"Goddamnit, Itachi, no! You are _not _going to win like that! It's late! We are _stopping_!"

Itachi was getting sick of her yelling, so he gave in. he unpacked his sleeping bag and soon hear Takara swear. He turned just in time to see her stomp her foot like a five-year-old.

"Damn!" she yelled. "I can't believe I forgot my damn sleeping bag!"

She threw off her coat, trying to turn it into a facsimile of a bed. That left her in knee-length shorts and a black short-sleeve shirt. Itachi could see metal mesh under it. His coat already off, Itachi sighed. This girl really bothered him.

"Here," he said a little grumpily. "Get over here."

She just stared at him.

"It's getting cold."

The wind blew then, ruffling her hair. She attempted to stop herself from shivering, but failed. He watched her expressionlessly. She scowled at him.

"We need to conserve body heat."

_What are you afraid of? _Takara mocked herself. _It's _Itachi _for God's sake. The single most emotionless man on the _planet_. What do you honestly think he's going to do?_

_Kill me, _she answered.

_That's ridiculous! I'm an Akatsuki member now, he won't kill me. Besides, he needs my help._

This mental battle continued for a few more seconds. Finally, she exhaled dramatically. Watching him warily, she climbed into the large sleeping bag next to him. He turned on his side, facing away from her. She blew a piece of her hair out of her face, annoyed by his reaction.

Was it really that bad to be close to her? Then the thought was gone and she could have laughed at herself. It was _Itachi_. He didn't want to be next to her any more than she wanted to be next to him. She closed her eyes, falling asleep almost instantly.

Itachi couldn't sleep.

He lay awake all night, trying not to concentrate on the warm, fleshy female lying beside him. She was so _close_. Twice during the night she moved in her sleep, and their legs brushed as she inched closer, unconsciously, to his warmth.

He tried to ignore the way his skin seemed to burn where she touched him. The effort exhausted him, and he eventually fell into a fitful slumber.

He frowned when he awoke. They had shifted positions while asleep, and his current position annoyed him. He was on his side, facing her. She was facing away and their bodies were touching in places and ways Itachi did _not _want to think about. He realized with irritation that he had draped his one arm around her waist.

He pushed himself up, angry at his sub-conscious mind. What had all that accomplished? Honestly.

Takara stirred, finding that her source of heat was gone. She yawned.

"Morning, Ita—" She stopped.

Itachi was glaring angrily into space, looking more peeved than he had last night. She sighed.

"If you are going to be grouchy 24/7," she said, "I am marching my ass right back to your house and you can catch this one on your own."

Itachi resisted the urge to chuckle. "Fine."

Truthfully, he enjoyed how she reacted to him. She didn't take any of his crap. She was tough-she wanted what she wanted, and, evidently, she wanted to win.


	4. Phase Four: Itachi's Action

"Lady Tsunade?"

Tsunade looked up at Shizune, happy to avoid the large stack of papers at her desk. "Hm?"

"Have you sent the spy?"

Tsunade nodded. "Yes, he left this morning. Based on what Naruto and Jiraiya have told me, I thought it was safe to have him assume the position of the six-tailed Jinchuriki. From our information, I understand they are already in pursuit of the fifth."

Shizune nodded. "That's right. But…"

Tsunade blinked. "But what?"

Shizune looked sheepish. "Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura have already left."

"Left?!" Tsunade stood. "For what?!"

"As I recall," said Shizune. "You sent them on a mission."

Tsunade let out a breath.

"But…"

A vein throbbed in Tsunade's temple. "What?!"

"Well…Naruto knows, generally, where the Akatsuki were. He might…go looking for them."

"Grrr…NARUTO!"

"Naruto?"

Itachi nodded shortly. "He's the Jinchuriki for the Kyuubi spirit. Naruto Uzumaki of the Hidden Leaf Village."

As she and Itachi ran, jumping the tree branches, Takara cast a side glance at him. His face showed no expression.

_As usual, _she thought. _I honestly don't know why I would think—_

She saw something flicker in his eyes for the barest moment. Before she could decipher it, a force knocked into her, throwing her into the trunk of a tree. Blinking, she realized it was Itachi! She glared.

"What the hell, Itachi, get off me!"

He didn't say anything, staring stonily at space.

"For God sake's, Itachi, move or I will smack you, so help me—"

She froze.

"You feel it, too?" Itachi whispered.

She gave the smallest of nods. Before she could do anything else, the space where she had been standing moments before exploded. She saw it over his shoulder—the entire branch was gone now, incinerated. She saw something in her peripheral vision—

_Clang!_

Itachi knocked the incoming shuriken from the air with his kunai. Takara, frowning, put away her own weapons. As she slipped the senbon back into her holster, she said with annoyance, "Itachi, seriously, I don't need protecting. Get off."

Again, there was that flicker of something, some emotion in his eyes that she couldn't quite catch. He stood abruptly.

"Fine."

Takara's jaw went slack with disbelief. Was Itachi acting…_offended_?

_No, _she thought firmly. _No, he's not. You're not interpreting things right._

Takara stood, tempted to brush herself off. Instead, she tensed her muscles, ready for attack. Nothing happened. She couldn't feel any enemy presence. She blinked.

"Itachi…?"

"I know," replied the man shortly. "They left."

Takara scowled. "Well that is really no fun. I was hoping for a HOLY SHIT!"

She jumped out of the way as the tree suddenly toppled over. She stood straighter a little ways off. The leaves swirled around her in a tornado, whipping her hair in her face. She turned in a circle, finding she couldn't see Itachi. The leaves turned to razor-sharp spikes, scattering. They landed in her hair, on her skin, cutting her and ripping her clothes.

_Genjutsu? _she thought. _DAMN IT!_

"Cowards!" she yelled. "Only freaking cowards use genjutsu!"

Suddenly, a shadow rose in front of her. The shadow wavered, formed a person. Then they multiplied. Soon she was surrounded by hundred of those shadows. They stepped toward her, and she kicked the closest one. Her leg was sucked into its middle, and there it stayed. She tried to yank her leg back, but it was stuck. They swallowed her in their suffocating darkness until all she could do was scream.

Then she had no breath left to scream. She was bleeding, and these _things _were pressing on her, smothering her. She tried to focus on inhaling, but she couldn't, she couldn't. All of a sudden, she _could_. She opened her eyes. She was on her knees, Itachi standing in front of her, his hand on her shoulder. She realized he'd pumped chakra into her to break the genjutsu.

"Did you see who it was?" he asked.

She shook her head, swallowing and trembling. Her head snapped to the side, and her cheek stung. He'd slapped her. Her mouth dropped and she turned to glare at him.

"Asshole!" she accused.

"Get a hold of yourself, we have to get moving."

She scowled. "Itachi, you loser, we're under attack and you're running away?"

"They're gone."

Takara blinked in surprise.

"Whoever it was, that genjutsu was a timed-release genjutsu," Itachi continued. "They used it to distract us so they could get away. They obviously don't want to challenge us outright. They are probably going to attempt another attack in a few days or so. We should be on our guard."

"You're still a jerk," she muttered, standing shakily. "I totally did not deserve that slap."

Itachi grabbed her wrists, slamming her back into the tree. He glared at her, his face a sudden mask of anger as he leaned in close.

"You really annoy me," he said. "Stop talking so much."

"Out of my face."

"You don't get it, do you? I can't stand you _at all_. I would really love to kill you right now."

She scowled back at him. "Well too freaking bad. You are stuck with me, Itachi Uchiha, whether we like it or not. Get used to it."

"Who would care if I killed you?" he growled menacingly.

"Fine! You know what, fine!" she snapped. "Go ahead! Kill me, Itachi! Go ahead and kill me, you freaking anal hole! What the freaking hell is stopping you?"

For a brief second, something in her eyes glowed brightly to life. She could see a spark in his eyes as well. Then the small ember of emotion snuffed out like a weak candle flame. Itachi shoved her roughly to the ground.

"Let's go."

For once, Takara didn't say anything. She stood slowly and followed him in silence. They'd barely traveled for a few hours, however, before Itachi became irritated again.

"Why are you so quiet?" he asked.

She glared at his back. "What the hell? Do you want me to stop talking or _don't _you? Make up your damn mind, Itachi."

_That's the Takara I know, _he thought. _She's fine._

It was then that he realized something. He'd been worried. _Worried._ He had been worried that she was silent because she was mad at him. Irritated at himself, he scowled.

"Oh, no," she grumbled, sensing his emotion. "You are _so _not allowed to be angry at me. I was doing what you told me, like a good little girl, and now you're pissed. I think you might have serious emotional issues—oof!"

Itachi shoved her, once again, into a tree. He pinned her arms on either side of her head, watching with almost pleasure as her eyes shot fire.

"Goddamnit," she hissed. "What is _wrong_ with you?"

His eyes swirled. She thrashed.

"Itachi, no—"

"_Mommy!" A smiling, seven year old girl with dark green hair and sea foam eyes runs into the arms of a gentle mother._

_The mother laughs. "You're always so rambunctious, Takara. When are you going to settle down?"_

_Takara laughs back. A boy who looks like her comes up to them. He grins widely, his eyes sparkling. He is great. Takara loves her brother very, very much._

The scene changes quickly. Itachi could see everything Takara was about to suffer.

_Her brother's mangled remains lie on the floor. Takara is frozen in fear and disgust. She wants to throw up. She can't. The stench, the stench is horrible._

_Her mother is horrified. "How could you? He was your _brother_!"_

_Takara wants to tell her the truth. But her mouth won't move with the words repeating in her head._

I didn't do it, Mommy. It wasn't me. I didn't kill Hisoka. I wouldn't, I didn't, it wasn't me.

"_Monster! That's what you are! A monster!"_

_Her mother approaches slowly. A weapons glints dangerously in the moonlight. Suddenly, her mother is falling, falling. Her eyes are glazed, her throat is slit, she is dead. She falls to the floor by Takara's beloved brother. Tears rush to her eyes. Blood. Takara is coated in it. She is paralyzed, she cannot move. She can barely turn her head in time before she throws up._

Then Itachi was done. He took a good look at her now, fourteen years older. He still had her arms pinned. She was looking down, and she was trembling, just as she had during that genjutsu. It took him a moment to realize she was crying. He wanted to feel triumphant. He had broken her. He had gotten her to fear him.

But he didn't feel that. He felt as though there was a knife in his chest from watching her cry, and knowing that he was the one who had caused it twisted the knife.

"You aren't fair, Itachi Uchiha," she whispered. "That wasn't fair."

He put his forehead against hers. She looked up after a few moments, and he closed the two-inch gap instantly. Their mouths overlapped. He felt her start to resist and tried harder. He kissed her fiercer. She gave in for a moment, letting the flavor of the kiss wash over her.

He tasted sweet. She liked his taste, and she liked his scent. It couldn't be described. It was Itachi. She didn't want to like it at all.

His hands slid up her wrists. He locked their hands together, intertwining their fingers.

Then she wrenched her arm away from his grasp and punched him solidly in the jaw.

"You, you…" She shook her head, bewildered. He made no move to get away from her, even though she had punched him in hopes of getting him off. He was still close, far too close. "Itachi, what…?"

She couldn't form full sentences. Her face felt hot. Takara hated herself for being this affected by his kiss. Itachi was just as surprised at himself.

_What was I thinking? _he asked himself. _Was I thinking _at all_? Why did I do that? Why do I still want to do it again?_

His hand reached up to gently stroke her cheek. She flinched slightly and his heart panged painfully. Yes, his _heart_. He no longer wanted her to fear him. He wanted to be the first one she ran to, the one she always talked to, the one she gave herself to…

His lips formed her name. She stared at him in shock. Itachi was acting so gentle with her now.

She shook her head. His hand dropped from her face.

"I don't understand you," she said.

"I was about to say the same thing," the man before her muttered. Then he leaned in to once again cover her lips with his own.

She stiffened immediately. He ran his fingers gently through her hair until she relaxed against him. She let him kiss her unresponsive lips. But she still didn't kiss him back.

"We aren't interrupting anything I hope," came a sudden voice.

Itachi broke away from Takara, who sucked in her breath. He scowled at the blonde facing him.

"What is it, Deidara?"

Deidara chuckled. "Testy, aren't we, hmm?"

Itachi's hand, invisible to the Akatsuki member, was clamped protectively around Takara's waist. He didn't notice, but she did, and she was trying desperately not to blush.

Kisame appeared by the blonde's side. "Hey, Itachi. Boss sent us out. Apparently, the sixth Jinchuriki is in the same town as the fifth. Funny, huh?" After seeing Itachi's glare and his current position—standing protectively over Takara—Kisame raised his eyebrow.

"Um, Deidara, maybe we should go…"

Deidara smirked. "Takara, come on. We'll all go. We're going to the same place anyway."

Takara opened her mouth. _Don't look at Itachi, that'll look suspicious._

"Okay." She disappeared from Itachi's side, reappearing by Deidara. Itachi closed his eyes to try and calm down. "Come on…Itachi."

_I hate her,_ he thought, _and I want to kiss her again._

* * *

A/N: Okay! How was it? This chapter took me freaking FOREVER to finish. how'd you like the little interaction there, hmm?? oo Itachi's mad at Deidara. Yikes! keep on reading!


	5. Phase Five: A Choice of Two

Takara felt Itachi's presence behind her. She was even more aware of him than she was of the chattering blonde beside her, or the blue-skinned man ahead of her. She desperately wished he would save her from Deidara, but she knew well enough that he would let her suffer. He was angry with her for not responding to his…action.

"You seem preoccupied, Taka-chan," said Deidara.

She blinked at him, almost resenting the new nickname he'd given her.

"Something wrong, hmm?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

She sighed. "No. Not really."

He smiled, winking. "That sigh tells me something different, hmm?" He grasped her hand. "You know you can tell me anything, Taka-chan."

"Nope, I'm good." Takara smiled at Deidara. Satisfied, Deidara nodded. But he kept a firm hold on her hand. "Um, you can let go of my hand, you know."

He wiggled his eyebrows. "Not yet, hmm? I think I'll hold it for just a little longer."

He grinned at her suggestively, winking again. This time his wink implied something different. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she felt her cheeks turn pink.

"You're blushing!" he exclaimed, his smile widening. "How cute!"

"Don't get used to it," Takara muttered. "I don't blush often."

Deidara leaned close. "Which makes it all the more cute."

Her head faced forward, but she watched him from the corner of her eye. He placed a quick peck on her cheek before she could react. He was still smiling when he pulled away.

"You should relax, Taka-chan," he said. "I won't get in your way. You and Itachi-san have your fun."

Her mouth dropped. "Are you kidding? We are _not_ together."

Deidara met her eyes. "You aren't together, hmm? So that little scene Kisame-san and I walked in on, that was nothing?"

"It was nothing," she insisted. "Nothing's going on between us _at all_. I just pissed him off and he was getting in my face. That's all."

"So," he said slowly, "if it wasn't what I thought it was, it is safe to assume you are attainable?"

She nodded cautiously. He chuckled.

"And here I thought Itachi-san was going to kill me for kissing his girl."

Takara scowled. "I am _not _his girl!"

"And that confirms it," Deidara stated. "I suppose you'd like your hand back, hmm?"

It wasn't until Deidara had let her hand go that Takara realized that her hand had been warmed by his touch. She frowned.

_Must just be my hormones, _she reasoned. _Which would also explain the Itachi situation earlier and would _really _explain why I am thinking about how hot Deidara and Itachi are. Aargh! Don't think about that, don't think about that!_

"Kisame?" she called. "How long till we reach this village?"

"One more day's travel," the shark-man answered. "One more night also. We should reach the village by afternoon tomorrow. But…"

Takara waited. "But what?"

"We don't know the identity of the sixth Jinchuriki," he explained. "So we're going to need to go undercover for a while. The village doesn't have many ninja, so we should be safe with genjutsu disguises. We'll need to take positions in the village and gather information. It's actually lucky we have you along, Takara."

Takara blinked. "Why?"

"We're going to need you. People trust women more than men. Plus, you're a new recruit. Ninja don't know your face yet."

"Okay." She nodded. This sounded reasonable enough. "So, what position am I? Undercover, I mean?"

Kisame looked anxious. He faced forward, deliberately ignoring her eyes. They were still traveling, hopping tree branches. Takara scowled.

"You, Taka-chan," said Deidara, "are going to be my girlfriend!"

Takara's eyes widened. "WHAT?"

"Kisame is your brother, Itachi's a family friend," Deidara continued, ignoring her shout.

"Wait, why am I your girlfriend?!"

He looked at her and smiled. "You don't have a preference, do you?"

She frowned. "No," she murmured after a while.

Suddenly, Deidara's arm slid around her waist. He held her to him closely. Before she could protest, he said, "You're going to have to get used to things like this. Might as well practice."

Without further ado, he pressed his lips to hers. She could feel Itachi's eyes on her. She knew he'd heard everything. _Everything._

_You know what, Itachi? _she thought. _Screw. You._

She felt Deidara's lips against hers—his mouth was hot, soft and insistent. She hesitated a moment and kissed back, letting one hand circle around his neck. Then he broke away, smiling.

"See?" he said, raising his eyebrows. "That wasn't so bad, hmm?"

She dropped her arm, but didn't protest when he let his arm linger on her hips. Itachi watched the exchange silently. He was seething.

_How dare she?_

Takara had denied even being attracted to him. Takara had gotten angry when Deidara had suggested it. Takara. Had. Kissed. Deidara. Back.

_What do I care? I don't care. I don't._

But he couldn't keep from being angry and jealous as Deidara kept his arm wrapped possessively around her waist. Then it became dark, and Kisame stopped them to make camp. Deidara was setting his sleeping bag much to close to Takara's…

He laughed at her expression. "Don't worry, we don't have to sleep together." He smiled mischievously. "Not yet."

Takara fidgeted under his gaze. It felt like he was undressing her with his eyes…

"Takara!" Itachi called. "I need to speak with you."

Deidara chuckled. "Sounds like you're in trouble. I'll let you take care of him yourself, hmm? Be waiting when you get back."

He looked at the sleeping bags pointedly (they had brought a spare for Takara). Takara blushed and walked towards Itachi's voice.

He was deep within the woods. It was so dark she could barely see him.

"What do you want?" she asked stiffly.

"What are you doing with him?" he hissed.

She blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Deidara. What the hell do you think you're doing with him?"

"What are you talking ab—"

Itachi knocked her to the ground. "Why did you kiss him back?" he growled dangerously.

Takara froze. "Why do you sound jealous?"

He didn't seem to have heard her. He kept going on. "Was it the 'Taka-chan'? Is that why you let him touch you? Why did you let him, and why did you kiss him back, when you shoved me away—"

Seeming to realize what he was saying, he sat back, sighing. Takara sat up as well, peering at him closely.

"Itachi," she said slowly. "You sound…jealous of Deidara."

"Of course I am!" he snapped. "You didn't respond when I—"

He stopped. "Just tell me why you kissed him back."

"Because I wanted to."

"Damn it, Takara!" He was angry with her again.

She was silent for a moment. What she said next was the truth…

"Because I was pretending he was you."

Itachi's eyes widened. He was quiet.

"Because, that time, I thought you were playing with me…"

She couldn't talk.

"Why?" he asked. "Why did you think that?"

"You're Itachi," she said simply. "Itachi doesn't care about anyone. I didn't think you could possibly care. I thought you were just…looking for something to do."

He reached over in the dark and grabbed her hand. She looked down in surprise. He clasped their fingers together and absently stroked her skin with his thumb. She glanced up at his eyes. He leaned toward her, instantly covering the distance between their bodies, and kissed her gently.

Reflexively, she stiffened. He groaned and yanked away. His hand however, stayed tightly locked in hers.

"Itachi," she said, "I—"

"I was trying to be gentler," he said in a low voice. "I wanted the kiss to be sweeter, so maybe you'd like it more. But you _still _resist. Do you have feelings for Deidara, then? Is that it? You should tell me now, before we waste any more time."

She shook her head. "Itachi, no. That was just…instinct. If you'd have kept it up for two seconds longer, I—"

She clamped her mouth shut. Feeling something completely new to him—hope—Itachi Uchiha bent his head to kiss her again. When he felt her stiffen this time, felt her lips go rigid, he lingered. Slowly, slowly, she relaxed. Her mouth loosened, her lips parting the slightest bit. His mouth opened, experimenting. She allowed him to open her mouth with his own.

His hand curled on the back of her neck, his other arm on the ground, supporting him as he leaned against her. Gradually, testing him to see if he was going to pull away, Takara placed hesitant hands on his shoulders. Not wanting to wait, Itachi opened his mouth wider, moving his lips against hers. He shoved his tongue in without waiting for an invite and was delighted when he heard her moan. He explored every crevice of her mouth.

It was a quiet night. The only sounds to be heard were their lips coming together and apart, their heavy breaths, and Takara's occasional rare moan. She wrapped her arms more tightly around his neck, becoming less and less shy as Itachi's mouth picked up a rhythm and his movements became more eager. His hand traced circles on her back until he couldn't stand it anymore.

Sighing in a way that more resembled a moan, he reached around to her front and began to unzip her Akatsuki cloak. With difficulty, she separated herself from his hungry, searching mouth. The rest of her, however, did not move.

"Itachi?" she said slowly. "Itachi, what are you—oh!"

The cloak discarded, Itachi's hand curled around the curve of her left breast, squeezing impatiently through the metal mesh of her shirt. She started to pant as he brought his head up to kiss her again, taking small baby sips from her mouth until she begged softly for him to kiss her longer. He obliged.

She didn't like begging, but all rational thought had pretty much fled from her mind.

He dragged his lips up and down her neck, planting small kisses that made her heart race. Takara uttered another surprised, "Oh!", as he gently lifted her shirt above her head, leaving her in a simple fabric binding across her chest.

_Easily removed,_ he thought.

Itachi trailed kisses back down her neck to her collarbone, feeling her chest rise and fall with quickened breaths. He bit the skin punishingly, wanting to leave a mark that labeled her as his. She inhaled sharply, then sighed as he licked the spot, caressing it with his tongue.

He was thoroughly enjoying this, every moment of this. He moved his hands to her back to remove the binding and take things to a higher level when he heard, "Oi, Itachi-san! Are you done with Taka-chan yet, I need to talk to her!"

_Damn it, Deidara._

Takara gasped. "_Shit_, Itachi!"

He held onto her. "No," he muttered into her hair. "Ignore him."

She shook her head. "Itachi, we can't!"

She jumped up, hissing, "What did you do with my shirt?"

He wanted to chuckle at the sentence. Itachi didn't respond, as she'd already found it, but he stood with her.

"We're always interrupted," he muttered. "Every single time."

She looked at him, softly tracing his jawline with her finger. Itachi tried not to let his surprise show. No one had touched him this gently, with that much softness in their eyes. Sure, he'd slept with women before, he'd had physical contact before. But their actions were always harsh and lust-filled. Takara was different.

"I'm sorry for this," she whispered. "But we need a reason why we're out here."

She cocked her fist and punched him, right at the spot she'd just lovingly stroked. It was harder than the first time, and this time he fell to the ground, looking at her in surprise and confusion.

"Oh, there you are." Deidara blinked at the two. "Um, what's going on?" He looked closely at Takara's face. "You're flushed," he observed. "What happened, Taka-chan?"

"Nothing important," she said. "He was scolding me and I got sick of it. Just a little tussle, but _I'm _fine."

She shot a look at Itachi and hoped he could see past her acting.

"Just tired," she finished. "Ready to go to bed?"

Deidara brightened. "You bet!"

He slid his arm around her, while she glanced at Itachi with what she hoped was a meaningful look.

_I was pretending he was you. _Takara's words echoed in Itachi's mind. He replayed the scene in his head, just the two of them, the noises she made…

_She won't do anything with Deidara, _he thought. _She will not…_

* * *

A/N: I AM SO PROUD OF THIS CHAPTER! ahem, sorry. BUT I AM!! i'm not sure if its good or not but i was sitting at the computer and i was like whats gonna happen next? and then POOF! its two hours later and its completely DONE! WOOT EXCITEMENT! i apologize. i dont think i took my meds this morning (laugh). KEEP ON READING, GUYS! (Nine-Tails Master, thanks so much for the support! personally i think characterXOC fics are much more fun to write cuz u dont have to stick to specifics for personality and such.) wow this is long. SORRY! KEEP READING!!


	6. Dont Read Unless Angry With Phase Five

Okay, i usually hate doing this, but i had to add something in.

SORRY.

okay, if some of u are kind of...annoyed or whatever, cuz of the last chapter, i apologize.

The way the story was going, i had to have Itachi and Takara fool around in some way. I tried to keep it as clean as possible but if you are disgusted or something, i am sorry. It is rated T, so i'm not sure how appropriate that one scene was between Itachi and Takara.

Uhm...sorry again if this is comletely pointless but i was concerned. Haha i worry too much. Sorry.

Eh, i'll stop saying that. Please continue to read this fanfiction!

Chapter Six is in the works! :)


	7. Phase Six: Finally! The Destination

EEEEK!! SORRY EVERYBODY!! i had half of this chapter typed and then i went on vacation and completely forgot what i was gonna have happen! SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG! THANK YOU ALL FOR READING THIS! I'M NOT WORTHY! bows repeatedly hahaha okay enough with my stupid-ish-ness. READ! :D

* * *

Takara sighed. Deidara was extremely stubborn. She'd lost the argument with him while Kisame watched in amused silence and Itachi brooded silently. In the end, here they were, Takara awake on her side with Deidara holding her firmly to his chest.

"Not tired, hmm?"

_He's still awake?_

"Not really," she said.

He rubbed her arm. At the last second, she remembered that he had mouths on the palms of his hands. She shivered involuntarily.

"Cold?" She could hear the grin in his voice. "Shall I warm you up?"

Before she could open her mouth to protest, he flipped her over so she was facing him. She could see Itachi over his shoulder. His back was to them, but Takara was sure he was awake. When Deidara chuckled darkly, she saw Itachi stiffen.

"C'mere you," he said, roughly grabbing her chin and planting a fierce kiss on her lips. She squeaked in surprise and pulled away.

"Deidara!" she whispered. "What are you doing?"

He smiled. "Having a little fun with my girlfriend. What's wrong with that?"

He leaned towards her again but she jumped out of the sleeping bag.

"Deidara, maybe that's not a good idea."

He sighed, sitting up. "You're not comfortable with me. Okay, fine." He rubbed his temples. "That would be a problem. We need this to be believable, hmm…"

He looked at her. "Perhaps you'd be more comfortable with Itachi-san? I know, he's a jerk, but it might be easier to pretend with him."

Takara exhaled. "Thanks, Deidara."

He grinned. "Sure thing, Taka-chan." Deidara sat up and gave her a smoldering smirk. She blinked away the blush that creeped into her cheeks. "You'll just have to owe me one."

He laughed at her expression. "Don't worry, I'm joking." He winked. "Only a little, though. But I think you might want to get in your own sleeping bag. Itachi-san might not take too kindly to you spending the night with him. He'll barely be able to allow you when you have to live together."

Takara nodded and quietly set up her sleeping bag, subtly placing it near Itachi's. She heard a rustle as he turned to face her.

"You handled that nicely," he whispered.

She smiled. "Thanks. He doesn't suspect anything."

Itachi wanted to ask why she was so bothered by the thought of anyone knowing of their attraction to one another, but he was tired. He lay on his side and watched her until he slept.

The next morning when she awoke, Takara absently touched her neck. She could feel that one spot he'd bitten…She covered it with her hand, sure that a mark was visible. She stood, rolling her sleeping bag. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Kisame kick the still-sleeping Deidara.

"Get up," he said. "Time to go."

Deidara mumbled something unintelligible.

Kisame frowned. "What'd you say?"

The blonde buried his head farther into the pillow.

"Come _on_, Deidara!"

"No."

"Get up!"

"No."

Takara laughed. The shark-man looked at her in surprise. She smiled at him.

"It's like watching college roommates."

Kisame eyed her for a moment, chuckling. She put on her coat, and he turned his attention back to Deidara.

"Deidara—"

Deidara, not moving his head, lifted his arm and pointed straight at Kisame. "No."

"Do you _want _me to use Samehada?"

"Yeah, Deidara," Takara agreed. She was in a great mood today. "Kisame will get all Samehada on your ass."

Deidara chuckled darkly. "When you put it that way…"

He pushed himself up, yawning. He smiled at Takara. "Morning Taka-chan," he said. "In a better mood, hmm?"

She shrugged, smiling. Itachi's things, she saw, were already packed. As she finished with her own pack, she heard Kisame talking with the blonde.

"Deidara, did you put that mark on her neck?"

"Hmm? Mark?"

"I saw a love bite on her neck. Did you give it to her?"

There was a pause. "No, I didn't. Where do you think…?"

"And why is she so happy this morning?"

Deidara sighed. "I don't know. Maybe—" He stopped. "You don't think Itachi-san…?"

"No," the shark-man replied forcefully. Then he hesitated. "At least, I don't think so. It _is _Itachi, so it's a super small chance, but…"

"_Itachi _gave Taka-chan a _love bite_?" asked Deidara unbelievingly, forgetting in his shock to call the Uchiha "Itachi-san".

"I don't know but where _else _would she get it from?"

"They _were _in the woods for an awful long time," the blonde replied thoughtfully. "Her face was flushed when I showed up, but she said they'd been fighting…"

"Maybe she was just covering. We should act like we don't know anything unless they decide to tell us."

"So, wait." Deidara sounded confused. "We're going to pretend that we _don't _know they're sleeping together?"

"Yes. They probably aren't sleeping together yet anyway—"

"Knowing Itachi-san, yeah, they are."

Kisame sighed. "Yeah, you're right."

Lifting her pack onto her shoulder, Takara walked up to them, pretending she hadn't heard.

"Ready to go, guys?" she asked.

Kisame nodded. "Just waiting for Itachi. He's scouting ahead a little bit."

As if on cue, the twenty-one-year-old Uchiha appeared beside Takara.

"Alright," he said shortly. "Let's go."

They set off running among the branches again. Itachi stayed beside her. The two others noticed, and Takara watched as they exchanged looks.

"There's a mark on your neck," Itachi muttered.

"I know," she said. "You put it there. The other two already saw it. They're pretending they didn't, and they are pretending that they don't know it was you."

Itachi was silent for a moment. Now he realized just how unwise it would be if Pein found out about their…relationship. Let's just say he wouldn't exactly be supportive.

Takara watched him the whole time they traveled. They were halfway into the day, and just a few moments from the village, and Itachi hadn't said a word. She dropped back.

"Itachi," she whispered. "What are you thinking about?"

He didn't show it, but he was surprised by her question. No one had ever asked him that. He kept his eyes forward, determined not to be distracted by her.

"Nothing," he said. "It's not important."

She reached towards him with her left arm. His heartbeat quickened. He cursed silently and willed it to slow down. Her fingers brushed his lightly.

"If it wasn't important, Itachi," she said softly. "you, of all people, wouldn't be thinking it."

"We're here." Kisame turned around and raised his eyebrow. Itachi and Takara were now standing awkwardly apart. Kisame stopped. "Here's the village."

_Alright,_ thought Takara, chancing a side glance at the silent Uchiha beside her. _Showtime._

* * *

Okay, ending somewhat sucked. SORRY! REVIEW PRETTY PLEASE! cuz seriously, i'm not sure if i can continue this unless i know ppl are reading it. so THANK YOU in advance. bye!


	8. Phase Seven: Undercover

A/N: I AM SO SO SO SO SO SORRY!! this took me SO long to write! i swear, i rewrote this about 6 times and i still wasnt happy with it and then i had three weeks of BAND CAMP to deal with so i couldnt get to work on this for a SUPER long time! i hope i dont disappoint anyone with this chapter! thanks for sticking with me!

* * *

Takara Ohiko woke up early in the morning, the covers thrown everywhere. Her hair stuck to her forehead with sweat. But she didn't notice any of this. The only thing she noticed was that she had awoken in that large bed alone. The space next to her was empty. Again.

She sat up and yawned. "God, 'tachi. How early are you _up_ in the morning?"

Itachi Uchiha didn't turn around. He just casually looked over his shoulder at the sleepy woman in his bed. _Their _bed, technically.

"You had a nightmare again," he observed.

She tried to scowl at him, failing miserably—all her focus and concentration had to be put towards not blushing when she noticed the smirking Uchiha was shirtless. Her eyes ran over his muscled back. His smirk only grew.

"You were crying this time as well," Itachi added. "The nightmares have gotten worse? Are you unable to control them?"

"Uh-huh…" she said absently, biting the inside of her cheek. Then she blinked and looked in his amused black eyes. "What? Unable? Are you implying I've gotten weaker? Hell no!"

He chuckled. "Apparently, you have not gotten weaker. But I have to say it's gotten much easier to distract you, recently."

"Shut up," she grumbled, throwing off the covers.

She stood, walking towards the corner of the room where there was a mirror and a chair. Their bedroom—Takara blushed just _thinking_ those two words—was pretty empty. Their apartment was simple, barely furnished. But that was the way Itachi liked it. And Takara didn't particularly care either way.

She reached for the hem of her night shirt. Her day clothes were already laid out on the chair—

Itachi grabbed her hand, stopping her. He stepped up behind her, resisting the odd urge to smile as she leaned against him.

"I'm curious, Takara," he murmured into her hair. "Those nightmares…they aren't about me, are they?"

"Because you'd absolutely love it if I was scared of you. I'm sorry to crush your hopes, but they have been going on since long before I met you, Uchiha."

He chuckled again and looked at the full-length mirror that stood just in front of them. He realized something and frowned.

"You changed your hair."

Takara laughed at him. "That was a very delayed reaction, Itachi. It has been dyed since we got here, idiot."

"I'm not talking about that."

Although, it was true that Takara had darkened her hair until it was almost black. Kisame was the one who had told her to. Apparently, green hair would "stick out" in this village. Itachi was still angry with the shark-man for that. Her hair had been perfectly beautiful the way it was. Even if the new hair color made her eyes sparkle more than usual, Itachi did not cope well with change.

His hand let go of her wrist and instead wrapped around her waist, holding her tightly. Her hand laid gently on his arm.

He ran his fingers through the long bangs that framed either side of her face, his hand brushing her cheek lightly. "You cut your hair. Why?"

"Deidara thought I looked scary." She rolled her eyes. "He said I needed to look 'nicer'. Basically, my choices were cut it myself or let Kisame go Samehada on my head. The latter was not what you'd call desirable. Besides." She smiled at him in the mirror. "I like it."

When Itachi didn't say anything, Takara's smile turned to a frown. "You don't like it?"

"Now what would give you that idea?" He kissed her roughly, his hand sliding up the back of her shirt.

She laughed against his lips. "Wow," she mumbled in between kisses. "It's only six a.m. and you're already _this _horny?"

"I've had to sleep next to you, in a real bed, alone in our own apartment, for three days," he whispered. His mouth attacked hers. "Do you have any idea how much you torture me?"

"I don't do it on purpose."

"And that's what makes it worse."

He swept her hair away from her face. She let her fingers trace the muscles on his back, his shoulders. Itachi began to maneuver them towards the bed, ready to give in to his hormones which had been screaming at him since day one. He was ready to listen to that certain "lower region".

And then someone knocked on their door. Loudly.

Itachi broke away from Takara, who was panting. "Shit!" she hissed, flopping weakly onto the bed.

"If that is Deidara…" he growled, ready to launch into a detailed discussion of precisely how he would kill the blonde if it was him who disturbed them.

"It is fricking six in the morning," said Takara. "Of course it's going to be Deidara. Do me a favor and don't kill him. Then we'd have to go to all the trouble of getting rid of his body and explaining to the neighbors why 'Itaru' is no longer with us."

Itachi grunted. "Hn. No promises."

The extremely-pissed Uchiha went to the front door, throwing it wide. A blonde man in a dark red shirt and tight pants grinned at him.

"Daichi-san!" Deidara exclaimed.

"What do you want?"

Deidara's grin turned sly. "Why, I simply want to check on my sister. Is that so much to ask?"

Itachi pulled Deidara through the door and slammed it closed, depositing the blonde roughly on the couch. "You can quit the act, Deidara."

Deidara chuckled. "You just slammed the door in Kisame's face, Itachi-san. I'm sure he won't be too happy about that."

"Hn."

Again, the front door opened. In stepped same old blue-skinned Kisame. To the villagers, thankfully, they saw a perfectly normal man.

"Kisame." Itachi nodded at his former partner.

Kisame looked at his expression and chuckled. "Good thing I'm here. I might have to prevent a murder."

He sat next to Deidara on the couch. "What did you do to piss him off, _Itaru_?"

"Nothing on purpose, _Ryuji_."

"What the hell do you two want?" Itachi leaned against the kitchen counter, his arms crossed, staring at the two men as if he wished lightning would strike them both.

"Don't tell me we woke you up, Itachi-san," Deidara said innocently. "Here I thought you were an early bird."

"Shut it, Deidara. Kisame, why are you two here?"

Kisame shrugged. "Just checking in on you guys. She settling in okay?"

"She" was obviously Takara.

"She's doing fine. Getting dressed right now. Thank you for the concern, now if you don't mind leaving…"

"I'm afraid we mind."

Itachi frowned. "Why?"

"Well, Itachi-san," began the blonde. "It seems we have some approaching trouble."

"Drop the honorifics, Deidara," Itachi snapped. "What kind of trouble?"

Fifteen seconds passed and the men did not answer, angering the dark-haired Uchiha even more.

"What. Kind. Of. Trouble?" he asked through his teeth.

The men shared a look. "Well…" Kisame began.

--

Naruto Uzumaki was unbelievably psyched. After five days, their mission was finally over! And the best part was…

Tsunade didn't expect them back for another four days.

It had taken some time to convince Kakashi-sensei, but now here they were. On their way to Kyoko Village. Where the fifth Jinchuriki was.

They were going after the Akatsuki.

Sakura was completely on board with his plan. At this speed, they would reach Kyoko, the Mirror Village, in less than a day.

Naruto was prepared this time.

--

Itachi's face was blank, a stone slate, when he asked, "What?"

Deidara fidgeted, and even Kisame seemed nervous. "I'd repeat it if I wasn't completely sure you would kill me."

"Four. Leaf. Shinobi. Are. Headed. This. Way. And. You. Didn't. Think. To. Warn. Me. Sooner?"

Each word was said carefully, calculatedly. Which only made them worry more.

"Um, well you see, we didn't find out until…" Deidara trailed off. Itachi's expression scared him. "So, uh, anyway…"

He tried changing the subject. "You said Taka-chan was getting dressed. How exactly was your night, Itachi-san?"

"What I'm sure the idiot means is," Kisame interjected when Itachi looked seriously about to kill Deidara with a frying pan, "how are things between you and Takara?"

When Itachi was silent for a moment, Kisame was afraid that he and the blonde imbecile had overstepped another boundary. Then, Itachi got a look in his eyes that the blue man had never seen before. He smirked, but it was dangerously close to a smile.

"She called me " 'tachi" this morning," he said in a quiet voice. "She's been having nightmares…" Then the Uchiha mask returned. "To answer your question, Deidara, my night was normal. I slept very well. Takara had a harder time, however, and I was just about to make it better this morning when you two came in."

Deidara chuckled. "We interrupt something?"

Itachi scowled. "Deidara, I'd watch where you tread. Takara doesn't want me getting blood on the carpet, but you never know. If I get provoked enough I might just…snap."

Holding up his hands, Deidara said, "Consider me warned."

"Itachi, try not to scare our guests away."

Kisame and Deidara grinned. "Well, good morning."

Takara smiled at them. "Hey guys. Don't make Itachi mad today. He's in a bad mood. Lack of sleep, ya know."

"Really?" Two pairs of eyes shifted to Itachi. "That's not what he told us."

She shrugged. "I think I kept him up a little. I toss in my sleep."

Itachi just blinked at her like a fish for a few seconds. "New outfit," he said finally.

She twirled in a circle and posed, laughing. "You noticed."

She was wearing a dark blue dress with HUGE slits up the side and black shorts underneath. Her new "day clothes".

"I like it." Itachi licked his lips.

"Pervert alert," she sang with a smile. "So, what's going on, Kisame?"

"We—"

"Nothing," Itachi interrupted. "Deidara was just impatient to see you."

Takara sighed. "Deidara, please. My _God_, you are the single most possessive person I've ever met." She glanced at Itachi. "Okay, well, _second_ most possessive…"

She made her way behind the kitchen counter. "Who wants breakfast?"

Kisame and Deidara shared their second look of the day while Itachi glared. Really, since when could those two converse just by _looking_ at one another?

But Kisame and Deidara both had the same question on their minds.

_Why didn't he tell her about the Leaf shinobi?_

* * *

A/N: Okay, watcha think? I personally am not 100 happy with it. but its gonna get better! I HAVE A PLAN! :D HAVE NO FEAR! but pretty please REVIEW! come on, it only takes a wee bit of typing and some mouse-clicking. please?


	9. Phase Eight: Followed

Takara peered at them questioningly. "Um, guys? What's with the look?"

Deidara held up his hands and smiled. "Nothing, nothing, Taka-chan." He flipped his wrists for emphasis. "Nothing at all, hmm." The blonde eyed Itachi. "Nope, nope, not a thing."

Kisame almost groaned aloud. Honestly, could the idiot _be_ any more obvious?

"I'll take that breakfast now, hmm?" Deidara said next when Itachi closed his eyes. Itachi opened them again, revealing the sharingan. Deidara shrieked and through his arms over his face. "Ahh! Taka-chan! Call him off!"

"What do you think I am?" asked Itachi through gritted teeth. "A dog?"

"The idiot thinks I'm a fish," muttered Kisame. "So that would be a good possibility."

Takara was suddenly beside him. She placed her hand on his arm.

"Itachi," she said firmly, "don't you dare use that sharingan."

His sharingan deactivated in his shock. "What?"

"The more you use it, the more your eyesight deteriorates," Takara reasoned. "I don't want you to use it unless you absolutely have to use it. And even then, only in battle." She looked at Deidara for a second. "Please."

Itachi glared at the blonde for a beat more, then turned to Takara with a sigh. "We have to go shopping today," he murmured. "We're almost out of groceries."

Deidara collapsed into laughter. "You sound so domesticated, Itachi-san. You are so _whipped_!"

"Deidara," Kisame warned, but too late.

He had gone suddenly from the couch to the floor, gingerly fingering the space around his right eye which was already turning black.

"Ouch," he said in surprise. He glanced up at Itachi.

But the Uchiha had not been the one to strike the blow. Takara winced at the pain in her knuckles and glared fiercely.

"Now, if you don't mind," she said, "I am going to make breakfast. Then Itachi and I are going shopping. And if either of you find it wise to make another comment that I happen to not like, I would be very careful when eating the food that I prepare."

Deidara opened and closed his mouth while Kisame chuckled.

Itachi followed her behind the kitchen counter while Kisame took Deidara into the bathroom to assess the damage to his eye. "Taking charge," said Itachi, smiling and kissing the top of her head. "I like it."

"You've said that twice today," she said, struggling to focus.

The possessive Uchiha smirked, his attitude returning. "There's a reason for that, my dear."

Takara blushed horribly. _He seems very un-Itachi-like today…_

-----------------------------------

The rest of that morning, however, most of their conversations went like this:

"What do you want for lunch later?"

"Hn."

---------------------------------------

Soon after…

"What's on your mind?"

"Hn."

"Are you aware that 'hn' is not a word?"

"…Hn."

------------------------------------

"You've hardly said anything but 'hn' all day," she said when they were walking through the village. She had a shopping bag dangling from one hand. "Are you mad at me?"

"No." Itachi stared straight ahead.

"Oh wow." Takara's eyes widened. "A word that's not 'hn'!"

A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Hn."

"Goddamnit!"

------------------------------------

Naruto's eyes were frozen. That was not Itachi. That couldn't be Itachi. …Could it? No. Absolutely _not_.

The man who looked like—but could not possibly be—Itachi was chatting with some girl who looked about late teens. Scratch that. Not some girl. Some really really _hot_ girl.

Apparently Kakashi-sensei agreed, seeing as he was staring at the woman, his one eye wide.

The woman had a shopping bag in one hand and she would smile at Itachi constantly. Suddenly, she frowned and said, very loudly, "Goddamnit!"

He tensed. Had the girl figured out who she was talking to? Then she smiled again, and did a horrifying thing.

She kissed Itachi on the cheek.

Beside him, Sakura made a gagging noise. "Has he used genjutsu on her or something?" she hissed.

"No," said Kakashi-sensei. "The only jutsu is the one he's put on the townspeople." His eye followed Itachi and the woman.

Naruto watched them also. They went into a few stores, and eventually the woman's arms were full. She gradually managed to cajole Itachi into carrying a couple shopping bags…

"Are they going _grocery shopping_?" Naruto shouted in whisper-form.

Itachi's face was, surprisingly enough, flushed. In this setting, he almost looked…human.

Sakura squirmed suddenly. "I feel like I'm intruding on something," she murmured. "It's like I'm watching this personal moment with his _girlfriend _or something." Then she gave a nervous laugh as if to laugh away the disgusting possibility that Itachi was human enough to have a girlfriend.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto tried to pry his sensei's attention away from the dark-haired woman. "When do we ambush them?"

"What?" Kakashi looked at his student. "Oh, the ambush plan. Not yet. We have to wait. There are too many people here."

"Aww!" whined Naruto. "But—"

"Keep quiet!" _Bam!_

"Owww Sakura-chan!!"

----------------------

Takara had the strange feeling that she was being watched. Normally she wouldn't think the feeling so strange. And, in all reality, she _was _being watched. The eyes of envious girls followed her, the eyes of jealous men followed Itachi.

She blushed as Itachi's arm tightened around her waist. "People are staring, 'tachi," she whispered.

_There's that nickname again, _thought Itachi. _Damn I could follow that anywhere—wait, what am I saying?_

"So?" he said calmly.

"So," she said, squirming a little against his side. "They're _staring_."

"I never pegged you as the type to care what the public thought."

"I'm not!" she replied hotly, her face burning. "I mean, I don't care! I mean—"

"We have nothing to talk about, then." To validate the end of the conversation, he kissed the top of her head lightly.

"I actually think we have a lot to talk about," she grumbled. "Starting with this."

He raised an eyebrow.

"You know," she said, stopping suddenly. "This." She gestured between them. "What's going on with us. What are we going to do about it?"

"I thought we _were_ doing something about it," Itachi said, frowning.

"I, um, I mean…" Takara spluttered.

"Can we continue this conversation back at the apartment?" asked Itachi. The beginnings of a smirk pulled at his lips. "…People are staring."

---------------------

sorry this took so long.

review?

i'll love you all FOREVER!!!!


	10. Phase Nine: A Kidnapped Kunoichi

The great Itachi Uchiha woke up very, very late at night with a rather embarrassing problem. He glanced to the right of him, where Takara lay asleep, as he pondered what to do with his, um, _uncomfortable_ situation. Fourth night in a row now he'd been waking in the middle of the night. Second night in a row when he'd awoken to find that his dreams—which he never seemed to remember—had given him a rather awkward condition.

As he slipped silently from the covers, Itachi let his gaze linger on the sleeping woman that was undoubtedly the source of his "condition".

_Damn you, Takara._

He undressed quickly, the bulge in his boxers quite evident. He hurriedly stepped into the shower stall and turned on the cold water. Standing in the cascade of frigid water, he willed his problem away. Honestly now. This was getting ridiculous.

After approximately twenty minutes, he deemed it safe enough for him to get back to bed. There was hardly any chance of him falling back asleep, but Takara did think of him as an early riser. It would not be unusual for her to wake and find him already up. It would, however, be unusual if she woke up to find him sitting on the floor of the shower stall.

He dried his hair and threw his clothes back on, turning off the bathroom light. He opened the door and walked back into the small bedroom he shared with Takara. Then he froze. Something wasn't right. He didn't sense Takara's chakra. Resisting the urge to call out to her, he instead reached to his left and flicked on the bedroom light switch.

His face twisted. "God _DAMN IT_!"

The sheets were ripped off the bed and now lay pooled on the floor on one side, like they'd been dragged off. The left side. Takara's side. Fresh blood stained the sheets and once-beige carpet. Takara was gone.

_Takara was gone._

"Damn it, damn it, _damn it_!!!" Itachi screamed.

How did they manage to take her? He'd only been in the bathroom twenty minutes. And how was it that he didn't sense them? He'd been right down the hall. _Right down the goddamn hall!_

With a rage-filled shout, he swung his fist at the wall, cracking the plaster. He felt blood, his own blood, trickle from his knuckles. He ignored the pain, hitting the wall again and again, until he punched a rather large hole into it. His knuckles were scraped and bloody. The bone underneath was visible.

"They'll pay," he hissed, his usually expressionless face contorted with rage and pain. "If they hurt her, I swear, I'll..."

He sank down the wall to his knees.

Anger coursed through him. How _dare_ they take her. Takara was _his_. And _no one _takes what belongs to Itachi Uchiha.

_No one._

------------

Kakashi yawned, making Sakura's eye twitch a little.

_He hasn't done anything all day,_ she thought. _What could possibly have made him so tired?_

"You're not sleepy already, Kakashi-sensei," said Naruto. "We've hardly done anything."

"Yeah," Sakura chimed in. "Why don't we use this time to put that ambush plan into action? Itachi won't be expecting it."

Kakashi slowly shook his head. "I don't think so, guys. We should probably wait on the ambush."

"Why?" whined Naruto.

His sensei didn't say anything for a while. Finally, Kakashi took a deep breath. "That girl he was with today," said Kakashi. "I think she's important."

"Huh?" Naruto peered at Kakashi. "What are you talking about? How is she important?"

"I think," Kakashi answered carefully. "That she's a Missing Nin from the Village Hidden In The Leaves."

Naruto blinked. "What? A Missing Nin? And what do you mean she's from the Leaf Village?"

"Yeah, sensei," said Sakura. "I'm kind of confused, too."

"Six years ago, one year after the Uchiha massacre, the Anbu Black Ops were sent on a special retrieval mission. A young girl, only fifteen, by the name of Takara Ohiko, ran away from the Leaf Village. Some thought she was running away because of the death of her parents, which occurred only three days before the Uchiha slaughter. The Third Hokage believed she was running away from something else."

Naruto sat forward. Huddled as they were in the small hotel room, it brought him a lot closer to Sakura than what she normally allowed. Captivated by what Kakashi-sensei was telling them, however, the usually temperamental girl didn't notice. Sai, who had barely spoken since they arrived, asked, "What did he think she was running away from?"

Kakashi shrugged. "I don't know. The Third Hokage kept his opinions about Takara Ohiko mostly to himself."

"So you think that girl with Itachi is Takara?" asked Sakura, almost in a whisper.

"I don't know," Kakashi repeated. "It's a good possibility."

"This Takara person," said Naruto suddenly. "Was she any good?"

"She was captain of an Anbu five-member Special Ops squad when she left," Kakashi said. "And in possession of a number of Leaf Village secrets. Which makes her good enough."

-------------

When Takara started breathing again, the first thing she noticed was the smell of smoke. It was the kind of smoke you'd smell if you lit twenty or so candles and put them in a poorly-ventilated room.

At first, she wondered why she was here. Then she began to wonder why she was coughing and breathing as if she'd been suffocated. She couldn't wonder much else after that, as a blinding headache shot waves of pain through her.

"Nasty, isn't it?" said a voice. "The temporary death state is my specialty. Convenient for incapacitating. Although side effects are a bit…unnecessary."

Takara tried to blink away the darkness in front of her eyes, but soon realized that she was blindfolded. And the voice…she didn't recognize it.

"Who are you?" she asked. "What do you want from me?"

Someone chuckled. "It's not about what _we_ want," said a different voice. "It's about what the boss wants."

"And who's your boss?"

More chuckling. "You aren't supposed to know just yet," said the first voice. It was undeniably female.

The second voice, a deeper, more macho voice, said, "Besides. The boss said we could have our fun with you first."

_Fun?_

"Yeah," said the female. "Fun."

Takara's head snapped to the side violently as an unseen fist punched her. Another blow to the temple. A hit to the stomach and again to the face. After that, all it took was one senbon. She felt it pierce the skin of her neck.

For the second time, everything went black, and Takara stopped breathing.

------

Itachi banged his fist on the door, nearly splintering the wood. Then it occurred to him: he was Itachi Uchiha. The door was wooden. This problem could be handled in a very simple, quick way.

He kicked the door down.

"Deidara!" he barked. "Kisame!"

Deidara's blonde head poked up from the sofa. "Itachi-san? What's wrong?"

"Where's Kisame?"

Deidara shrugged. Itachi's scowl deepened.

"KISAME, GET YOUR BLUE FISH ASS OUT HERE!"

Kisame, looking rather peeved, emerged from the bathroom, wearing a towel around his waist. "Damn it, Itachi. I was right in the middle of my shower."

"Get dressed, Kisame. We have to go. Now."

Kisame just blinked. "Why? We just got here. We haven't figured out the two Jinchuriki hosts yet—"

"Takara's been kidnapped."

------------------

When Takara awoke again from the temporary death state, the smoke smell was gone. So was the blindfold. She looked around. The room was large and dimly lit. She was lying on a bed, strange tubes attached to her arm. She was just about to sit up when a hand suddenly grasped her shoulder and gently pushed her down again.

"Now, now," said a voice, different from the two voices earlier, "careful. We don't want you moving around too much. You might injure yourself again."

The owner of the voice was a young man with silver hair and glasses. His smile seemed genuine, but the glare from his glasses prevented her from seeing his eyes.

Takara frowned at him. "Injure myself?"

He chuckled, obviously finding the question amusing. "Yes. When you were last put into a temporary death state, you reacted rather violently. The death state didn't work the way it was supposed to, for some reason. You went into a frenzy." He chuckled again. "Killed the two ninja I'd assigned to watch you. Snapped their necks like toothpicks. And that's no easy feat considering I chose them for their skills, both in ninjutsu and taijutsu."

He paused for a moment, and gestured at her arms. "Then you tried to take your own life."

She looked down at her arms and gasped. The inside of both of her arms was covered in criss-crossed slashes, all jagged and deep, some still oozing blood.

"You tried that when we first captured you as well," he said, tapping her left wrist.

On her left wrist was a bumpy, uneven scar.

"I managed to heal that, but this time I was focused on just keeping you from losing too much blood."

"I don't remember any of that." She raised her chin in defiance as she spoke, but even she could tell that her voice was shaking.

He smiled. "That's just fine. You don't have to."

"Who are you? Why do you care whether I'm alive or not?"

He pushed his glasses farther up his nose and said, "My name is Kabuto. And I care whether or not you are alive because you are very crucial to Lord Orochimaru's plan."

Takara bristled. Orochimaru? That snake was still alive? Worse yet…that evil, sick, twisted snake still had her incorporated into his plans?

-----------------

Kisame stared at the Uchiha. Slowly, his words and actions sunk in.

The blue man swallowed, knowing how Itachi was going to take this. "Itachi…we can't."

Itachi froze. His face didn't move. He didn't even seem to be breathing. "What?"

"We can't go after her, Itachi. We—"

_CRASH!_

Kisame was now pinned to the wall by Itachi's arm at his throat. More than that, not only was he pinned, but there was a hole in the wall around him now. _Itachi had shoved him through the wall_. Picture frames hanging on the wall had crashed to the floor, and broken glass lay everywhere.

"What do you mean we can't go after her?" Itachi said, his voice laced with venom.

Deidara—who had been temporarily stunned upon having heard the usually impassive, unspoken Uchiha yell the words "blue", "fish", and "ass" in the same sentence—recovered from his shock and said meekly, "Calm down, Itachi-san, and let Kisame-san explain."

"Explain?" Itachi hissed. "Go ahead, Kisame. Explain why we can't go save Takara. Explain why you want to leave her in the hands of her _captors_."

"We have our mission, Itachi," said Kisame faintly. "Pein ordered us to—"

"I don't give a damn what Pein ordered us to do," the Uchiha growled.

Kisame stared levelly at Itachi, suddenly gaining ground. "This isn't like you, Itachi."

The raging man barked a harsh laugh. "Then what is 'like me', Kisame? Enlighten us."

"She's changed you, Itachi."

He snorted. "She has done no such thing. Now, I am going to say this again: We are going after Takara or I will force Deidara to—"

"Hold on!" screeched the blonde nervously. "Why am I getting involved in this?"

"I've seen the looks you two have," Itachi said, an evil smirk taking place. "And I have a very useful piece of information on my side. Pein, our wonderful leader, happens to be extremely fond of boy-on-boy. Now, imagine what would happen if I told him an interesting tidbit about yourself and Deidara…?"

Kisame's face was stone. "Very unlike you, Itachi. Resorting to lies, creating gossip…you hate gossip. And you know as well as I do that, while it's very possible that Deidara may be gay, I am perfectly straight. You seem to be extremely set on going after Takara."

"I'm not gay," protested the blonde loudly.

Itachi's smirk vanished. His harsh mood returning, he said, "The longer we debate this is less of a chance to recover her alive."

Just saying those words ripped a hole in his chest. Oh, God, they can't kill her. They can't.

"What if she isn't in danger?"

Itachi stiffened in surprise. "What are you talking about?"

"What if Takara planned this?"

The Uchiha pressed Kisame further into the wall. Kisame flinched. "Why in hell would she do that?"

"He warned us about this, Itachi-san," said Deidara suddenly. "He told us that he didn't trust Taka-chan, that it was possible she was a spy for Orochimaru—"

"That pathetic moron?" Itachi asked. "She wouldn't—"

"She was involved with Orochimaru for a while, Itachi," added Kisame. "Pein even thinks she might have had something to do with a man named Madara—"

Itachi's hand was suddenly around Kisame's throat. His sharingan glared into Kisame's eyes. "Impossible," the Uchiha snarled. "She could not possibly have had anything to do with that man. He's been dead for years."

She couldn't have anything to do with Madara. That's just not possible. While it's not true that he's dead, it's just impossible for her to have been involved with him.

"There's something else, Itachi." Kisame's eyes softened. "She's fooled others."

"_What are you talking about?_"

"She had a long-term relationship with Kabuto Yakushi, Orochimaru's right-hand man. She pretended to be in love with him, gained his trust, made him fall in love with her. And then she pulled everything out from under him. She tried to take his place. She just wanted the power."

Itachi's eyes were stone-cold when he said, "You're lying."

"Itachi, I'm not. Pein said—"

"I DON'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT WHAT PEIN SAID!"

"Just ask yourself, Itachi!" Kisame shouted back. "What does she mean to you? Are you this concerned because you think she'll be useful at some point?"

"Of course, I think she'll—"

"Or are you worried about her because you love her?"

Itachi's sharingan deactivated. He bowed his head slightly and stared at the glass-littered floor. Kisame couldn't see his eyes—they were hidden in shadow. When he didn't say anything for the longest time, Deidara's eyes widened comically.

"Itachi-san?" asked Deidara in a hushed tone. "Do you…Do you _love_ Taka-chan?"

Itachi's hand released Kisame's throat. His hand slid down to hang limply at his side.

"No," he said finally. "I don't."

He turned away from them and walked through the front doorway, stepping over the shattered glass and splintered wood. He vanished silently, leaving Kisame and Deidara to share a momentary look of worry.

--------------------------

Itachi's hand squeezed tighter. "Where is she?"

Kakashi struggled to breathe. "We both know that strangling me will not help you find her."

Naruto clenched his jaw, clutching his kunai angrily.

"Make one move, Naruto," said Itachi calmly, "and your sensei dies."

"This is ridiculous!" Sakura said. "Let Kakashi-sensei go!"

"You are in no position to make demands."

An Itachi clone instantly appeared behind her. He hit her, and she slumped, unconscious. Sai knelt and caught her before she fell to the ground. Naruto stepped forward.

"Itachi," he growled. "I'm gonna make you pay for that!"

He swung out at the clone—it vanished in a puff of smoke.

Itachi loosened his grip on Kakashi's throat. "Do you know where Takara is?"

"No, Itachi," he responded. "I have no idea."

Itachi once again bowed his head. He tossed Kakashi to the side. Kakashi sat up, rubbing his throat. He eyed Itachi curiously. Suddenly, Naruto flung himself at the Uchiha, a spinning ball of chakra pulsing in his palm.

He thrust his hand out. Itachi didn't seem to notice. He didn't make a single move. Just before the Rasengan connected, Kakashi grabbed Naruto's arm, halting him not four inches from Itachi's heart.

"Kakashi-sensei? What're you doing?" Naruto asked, confused.

Kakashi ignored his student, looking instead to Itachi. "How did you find us?"

"I knew you were following me. It didn't take very long to find you. It's a small village."

Itachi stared at the grey-haired man. "I need to know everything you know about Takara Ohiko."

"Why?"

Scowling, Itachi replied, "We don't have much time. She was taken, just a little less than an hour ago. I need to know who could've taken her."

Kakashi didn't say anything for a long time.

"Why should we help you?" Naruto yelled. "You've tried to kill us! This Takara girl is part of the Akatsuki, too. She's no different than you."

That's where you're wrong, Naruto. She's the complete opposite of me.

"_Itachi…" Takara fidgets on the bed. "Maybe…"_

_He sits up, slightly agitated. "What?"_

"_I'm almost thinking we shouldn't kill that Uzumaki boy just yet."_

_Itachi's eyes narrow. "What are you thinking, Takara?"_

_She smiles softly, turning around so her back is facing him. "I can't help but think that he'll be more than we expect. It could pay off to leave him alive, 'tachi."_

"_You don't want to kill him," he says, trying to clarify._

"_Right. I don't want to kill him."_

"She didn't want to kill you."

Naruto didn't speak, he just stared.

"She didn't care that you were the owner of the Kyuubi, that you were probably the most powerful Jinchuriki out there. She wanted you to stay alive."

"Why do you care if she's been taken?" Naruto said. "What if she just left, huh? What if she got tired of hanging around with a heartless killer like you?"

Heartless. Everyone assumes I'm heartless. And I am. Aren't I?

Sai had been watching Itachi for a while, gauging his actions. Now, he said, "Do you love her?"

Itachi's face hardened. "No. I don't."

Sai smiled, one of those fake smiles he pulled out every once in a while. "Okay."

Itachi looked at Kakashi, who had been silent this whole time. "I know you don't trust me. I'm not asking you to trust me. I'm just asking you to tell me something that could help me find her."

"Orochimaru."

"What?" said Itachi, stiffening.

"Orochimaru would probably have taken her. She was always his most-useful spy."

Itachi's mask broke, showing the immense relief that he felt. Then the relief gave way to anger. "Thank you."

And then he was gone. Naruto stared at his sensei. His mind was racing.

_That Takara girl was involved with Orochimaru? Does she know where Orochimaru is? If we find her, will we be able to find Sasuke? Wait, why did Kakashi-sensei tell Itachi that?_

"Kakashi-sensei," he said quietly. "Why did you help him?"

"Because, Naruto." Kakashi was staring at the space where Itachi had been standing. "He was lying. I don't know if he knows it yet, but he loves her."

-----------------------

"Shhh. It's alright…"

Takara blinked, trying to focus. Someone was crying.

"It's alright…"

She opened her eyes. The crying stopped.

Was I the one crying?

Kabuto was leaning over her, a washcloth in his hand. She grabbed his wrist and narrowed her eyes.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"You were crying, Takara." He smiled softly. "Nightmare?"

"I don't…" She stopped. "I…I don't remember."

"And it's quite alright that you don't remember, Takara. Just calm down. Everything will be fine."

"You kidnapped me," she reminded him. "How does that make everything fine?"

"You're alive and safe," he replied. "I call that fine."

She watched him cautiously as he rinsed the washcloth in a bowl by her bed. "Why is it that I can't remember anything?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"I remember my time with Orochimaru," she said. _He wanted me to kill someone…a person…no, wait, two people. He wanted me to kill two people. I can't remember who…_"But details are missing. Giant chunks, specifics, its all gone."

Kabuto didn't say anything.

"You. I know I know you." She sat up. "I've seen you before, I've talked to you before, I've…"

He kept smiling. "I don't think you'll remember anytime soon, Takara."

"Why?"

"Because Lord Orochimaru made it so that you _couldn't_ remember."

"And why would 'Lord Orochimaru' do that?"

Kabuto got closer to her. She leaned back. They continued this, inch by inch, until Takara's back was against the wall. She clenched her fists as Kabuto rested his forehead on hers.

"There were things he didn't want you to know."

She avoided his gaze. She wanted to punch him, get him away, but she didn't move. "Like what?"

"It's simple, Takara." He chuckled. "You loved me."

Takara's eyes widened. "What are you talking about? I didn't—"

"You did. C'mon, Takara. You have to remember. No matter what Lord Orochimaru did, you can't possibly forget me. You can't have forgotten _us_. All the things we did—"

"I think you're delirious." She looked away. _He's crazy. I never loved him. I'd remember something like that. Wouldn't I?_

"You gave yourself to me, Takara. You loved me," he whispered, making her shiver. "You still do. And the sooner you accept that, the sooner we can pick up where we left off."

"I don't love you," she hissed.

"That will change." He kissed her forehead. "Get some sleep."

As he turned and walked out of the room, she viciously rubbed her forehead.

That guy is crazy. I barely remember him. I didn't love him. I don't love him now. I need to find a way to get out.

"Yeah," she muttered, throwing the covers off of her legs. "Like hell I'm going to sleep."

---------------------------

"Kabuto…What do you think you are doing with your patient?"

Kabuto stiffened momentarily. "She forgot, Lord Orochimaru. Just like you said she would. She's forgotten everything about me."

"Then why are you trying so hard to jog her memory?"

"I'm not. But I had an idea. She doesn't remember me, or anything that happened between us, so she doesn't remember the exact reason why she betrayed you. If I can just get her to remember some portion of how she felt for me, I can almost guarantee I can get her to stay with us."

Orochimaru grinned in the darkness. "A good plan, Kabuto. Then she would even be willing to participate in my plan. Just as willing as she was when she was young and naïve, as willing as she was when she was stupid enough to fall in love with you."

"I know how much of a key factor she is in your plans, Lord Orochimaru."

"Yes, things would run a lot smoother with her on my side…" He chuckled. "Carry on, Kabuto."

Kabuto turned to exit the room.

"Oh, and Kabuto? One more thing."

"Yes?"

"While you work on uncovering her feelings for you, be careful not to uncover any of your own feelings for her. I don't want something as trivial as emotions clouding your mind."

Unseen by Orochimaru, Kabuto smiled. "Of course, Lord Orochimaru. You don't have to worry about me."

-------------------------------------------

_He kissed down her jaw, sucking on the tender skin of her neck, eliciting a short moan from her. Her clothes were gone—nothing to inhibit him as he dragged his fingers lightly along her skin. When had he undressed her? He kissed his way past her collarbone. She was starting to pant._

"_Touch me," she gasped, and then moaned loudly as he complied._

_He chuckled, his lips still on her skin. "Anxious, are we?"_

"_Stop playing, Kabuto," she said, arching her back. "You do this every time."_

_He parted her legs. "Would you like me to stop playing?"_

"_Yes," she moaned. "Yes."_

_He entered her and she sighed with pleasure. She clutched at him, pulling him closer._

"_I love you," she whispered._

_He hit a spot that made her scream. When her scream died down, he whispered back, "I love you too, Takara."_

_He kissed her neck again as she looked around._

"_On top of the table, Kabuto?" she asked quizzically._

"_You know how kinky I can be, babe," he said, entering again and making her world spin._

_He kissed her swollen lips, and she stopped asking questions._

------------------------

Takara gasped, her eyes flying open. Her hand was clutching the doorframe, nails digging into the wood painfully. She was afraid to close her eyes again, afraid of the hallucination, afraid of the hollow ache of want in her lower region.

He'd drugged her. Yeah, that was it. He'd planned this, given her something that made her hallucinate. That wasn't a memory. It couldn't be a memory. She wouldn't _let_ it be a memory.

Under no circumstances would she allow herself to believe, even for a moment, that she had ever been in love with Kabuto Yakushi.

--------------------------------------

A/N: IT'S FINISHED!!!! THIS IS THE LONGEST ONE I'VE EVER WRITTEN! personally, i was proud. i hope you all enjoyed it! REVIEW!!!!!


	11. Phase Ten: Snake Bite

A/N: muwahahahaha. 'tis finally finito!  
enjoy.  
:)

* * *

"_Can you remember anything?"_

"_No."_

"_Can you try?"_

"…_My mother. She died."_

"_How old were you?"_

"…_I was…seven."_

"_Very good. How did she die?"_

"…_I…Something…killed her."_

"_Do you remember what?"_

"………_no."_

"_Let's try some basic questions. What is your name?"_

"_Takara Ohiko."_

"_How old are you?"_

"_Twelve."_

"_Where is your father?"_

"_Here. The Leaf Village."_

"_Okay. Are you getting along with your father's new wife?"_

"_My stepmom? Sure. We get along fine."_

"_That's good. Do you remember anything before coming to the village?"_

"_I just know my mother died. And my…brother…?"_

"_You sound unsure."_

"_I can barely remember. His name was…Hisoka."_

"_When was he killed?"_

"_Same night as Mother."_

"_I'm sorry for your loss, Takara."_

"_You don't mean it, so don't say it."_

"…_Alright, Takara. Are you sure you don't remember anything else?"_

"_Yes. I'm sure."_

----------------

Takara opened her eyes slowly. She was moving. She looked around and her eyes widened. Correction. She was being _carried_.

"_Itachi?!_"

"Hello, Takara."

Takara stared at the Uchiha. He was carrying her in his arms, trees whizzing past them as he ran at incredible speeds.

"What the _hell_ are you doing?"

He frowned. "That's not the thank you I pictured."

"I—you—huh?" she sputtered. "You—Did you—?"

"Yes, I saved you from Orochimaru's."

"But…How did you know where to find me?"

"I'll explain that later. Takara, we need to talk."

"Okay." Suddenly, she felt extremely awkward. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Us."

Her face turned red. "Us?"

"We shouldn't anymore, Takara."

"Shouldn't what?" Her heart began to sink. "What are you talking about, Itachi?"

He didn't look at her when he said, "It was fun, but we should end it now before it becomes anything serious."

"_Fun?_" she hissed, her heart thudding in her chest. "_Fun?_"

"That's all it was, Takara." Now, he smirked. "Just a bit of fun. Something to do. Missions get so boring, don't you think?"

Her mind raced. So it was true. Her suspicions had been correct. Itachi never cared for her. She was entertainment for him. Thank God she hadn't slept with him. Thank you God. What the hell had she been thinking? Why did she let herself fall for him?

She whispered something. He looked down at her in surprise. "Hm?"

"Put me down," she said a little louder. "_Put me the fuck down!_"

She flailed and kicked. When his grip on her tightened, she pulled out her senbon, stabbing it into his neck. His eyes widening, he dropped like a stone. She pushed away from him as they fell. Tears rushed to her eyes.

_No. He can't die. Not like this. I don't care what he said, I won't let him die!_

She reached out, grabbing his wrist with one hand and clutching a tree branch with the other. The branch broke, and they kept falling. Then, with a thud, she landed stomach-first onto a thicker branch. The air whooshed out of her. She pulled herself onto the branch one-handed, hefting a paralyzed Itachi up beside her. Then she sat with her back against the tree trunk and pulled her knees to her chest.

_I will not cry in front of him. I will not._

She felt someone else's presence. Kabuto appeared in front of her. She hugged herself tighter. Then something occurred to her.

"Wait a minute," she said. "This is an illusion."

Kabuto looked at her. "Takara, calm down. Everything is going to be okay."

"It's an illusion. None of this is real." Takara barked out a laugh and whipped out a kunai, stabbing her thigh. Everything began to dissolve. "See? Illusion." She started to laugh again, a crazed laugh.

Everything was gone now, everything except Kabuto. He watched her, a sad expression on his face.

"Why?" she whispered. Her limbs trembled. The hand holding the kunai shoved it deeper into her leg. "Why won't you disappear like the rest of them?"

"Takara," he whispered. "What are we doing to you? You're losing your mind."

"Your fault," she said with a sudden smile. "You put me on something. Drugs, something. The same stuff you put me on to make me forget. The same stuff you put me on to mutate my chakra. That's why I left, wasn't it? Orochimaru was mutating me. Well, I've had enough. I want to leave."

"Takara, you're hurting yourself. Stop it."

"Why?" She giggled. "Why? I can't feel the pain right now. I won't be able to remember feeling any pain. And if I die, I won't have to go through this anymore. I want out, Kabuto. No more experiments, no more surgeries or mutations, no more drugs. I want out. You tell Orochimaru. I WANT OUT!"

"Release!"

-----------

Takara gasped, gulping a huge amount of air. She coughed a few times, sitting upright in bed. Her heart beat crazily.

"It's okay." Kabuto sat beside her bed, and he laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It was another nightmare."

Tears streamed down her face. "Something's happening. There's a reason for these nightmares. Why can't I remember? Why don't I remember anything?"

Then she flinched. She brought her hand down to rest on her thigh, where a fresh, deep wound was sliced on her leg. Then she looked up at Kabuto, searching his eyes.

"Where did this come from?" she whispered. "This wasn't here before I fell asleep. When did I get this?"

"You tried to hurt yourself again—"

"WHY DO I KEEP ATTEMPTING TO KILL MYSELF?" she shouted. "WHY IS IT THAT EVERYTIME I FALL ASLEEP I WAKE UP WITH MORE WOUNDS? TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON!"

"I don't know, Takara," whispered Kabuto soothingly.

"What's happening to me?" she said, crying harder. "I feel like I'm losing my mind."

"I don't know, Takara."

"I don't want to go back to sleep," she whimpered. "Don't make me go back to sleep, Kabuto. Please, don't make me."

She covered her face with her hands and started to sob. Kabuto stood. Right before he exited the room, he glanced at the clock. She had been here for five hours. In her mind, she'd been here for weeks. That's why she was cracking so quickly. Lord Orochimaru made sure of that. Only a little more of this and she would break completely. And then Lord Orochimaru could reshape her.

Then the ruthless killing machine he'd lost 4 years ago would be his once again.

It was only a matter of time.

-----------------------

"Where is she?"

"I don't know who you're—gack!"

"I'm going to ask again. Where. Is. She?"

"I don't know, I really don't kn—"

_SHUP._

He dropped the dead man to the floor, ignoring the spreading pool of blood. He stepped calmly around the others, daintily avoiding their slashed bodies. The blood had splashed against the walls at one point, which he regarded in a quiet, thoughtful manner. Then he turned, almost as an afterthought, and moved his hands twice. The entire hallway burst into flame, and Itachi Uchiha walked on.

-------------------

"Do you promise?" she whimpered.

Kabuto nodded. "I promise. All you have to do is hold out your arm and the nightmares stop."

She slowly unfolded her arm from around her legs. She held it out obediently and swiftly turned her head away, eyes squeezed shut. She reminded him of a toddler who disliked needles.

_Is that what she's become now? _he wondered briefly. _The toddler she once was?_

He stuck the needle in her arm. Her eyes opened for the tiniest instant, and then she gasped audibly as the world went black.

_She blinks slowly. Her body is cement. She cannot move. She is standing perfectly still, surrounded by black._

Where am I?

_She looks down at herself. She is not clothed. She stares at her body, the body she doesn't recognize._

Who am I?

_Suddenly, the black is gone. She is in a small cabin-like house. It is night. A little girl with dark green hair is standing a few feet ahead of her. She can only see the girl's back. Next to the girl is a dark shape. An equally dark stain is spreading across the wood floor. The girl is trembling._

What's going on?

_A woman is in front of the girl. Her eyes are those of the insane. Something metal glints dangerously in the moonlight streaming from the window._

"_Monster!" screams the woman. "That's what you are! A monster!"_

_A cloud shifts in the sky, blocking the moon. The dark should provide enough cover to shield what happens next from view, but it doesn't. She can clearly see the yellow tentacle-like thing lashing out, she can see the spurt of blood, coming in a long stream from the woman's jugular vein. Then the clouds shift again, and the woman is lying on the floor by the dark shape, the floor is nearly covered in blood, and the tentacle, whatever it was, is gone._

_The girl is coated in the blood of the woman, and the girl turns her head and vomits. Then the girl screams and screams and screams and screams. The girl sits there for a long time, tears streaming silently down the girl's cheeks. By the time the girl finally gets shakily to her feet, the blood has almost dried. The girl turns, stumbles, falls, and stands again. Her hair hides her face. The girl runs past her, and the girl's bangs lift just enough for her eyes to be visible._

_They are the color of sea foam._

That was…she was…

_She stands perfectly still, staring at the body on the floor. One step closer shows the dark shape is also a body. A young boy. His eyes are glazed. His head is not where its supposed to be, no, no. It's not on his neck, where it's supposed to be, no, no, no._

_She, too, turns her head to the side and retches._

Hisoka.

_The name comes suddenly, from nowhere, and she is afraid. Her legs start to move, and soon she is running after the girl._

_The girl has stopped and is crying against a tree. A man approaches._

_She skids to a stop, her heart pounding in fear._

Who is he?

_The man touches the girl's shoulder and the girl whirls around, her eyes wide with terror._

"_What are you crying for, little one?" the man asks._

_She and the little girl both shiver. His voice sounds slimy._

Snake, _she thinks suddenly._

_The girl rubs her eyes. She says nothing, just hiccups. The man smiles._

"_It's all right," he says. "Come here."_

_He pulls the girls in for a hug. The girl stiffens and takes as many steps back as she can._

"_Don't come near me!" she shouts. "I don't wanna hurt anyone else! I don't…I don't…"_

_The girl breaks down again, hiding her face in her hands and shaking her head._

"_I have a m-monster ins-side m-me," sobs the girl. "I just d-don't wanna h-h-hurt—"_

"_You're not a monster, my dear," says the man. "I know exactly what you are."_

_The girl looks up at him. "Wh-wh-what am I?"_

_He nods. "You're _important_, my dear. I'm going to need your help very soon."_

_The girl just stares. "Important?"_

"_Very important," the man says solemnly. "How about we make a deal?"_

_Slowly, the girl nods and wipes her nose on the back of her hand._

"_I'll bring you somewhere you'll be safe," he says, "and in return, you'll owe me one." He smiles. "Alright?"_

_Again, the girl nods._

"_Very good. Come with me, dear." He hold out his hand._

_Just before she takes it, the girl asks, "Who are you? Where are you taking me?"_

"_My name is Orochimaru, and I'm bringing you to the Leaf Village," he says. "Now come, Takara."_

_The girl, Takara, takes his hand. Everything fades. The black returns._

Didn't ask, _she thinks. _Takara didn't ask how he knew she had killed that woman and the boy. She didn't even ask how he knew her name.

_She is in front of a house. This house is larger than the other one. And instead of being in the woods, this house is in the middle of a town, it looks like. She sees the girl, the same girl, Takara. Takara is now a year or so older it seems. Maybe she is eight. Takara is sitting on the roof. A bird rests on her arm. Takara slips a small piece of paper into a container and attaches it to the bird's leg. The bird flies off. There is a set look on the eight-year-old's face._

Father is sending me to stay at the Uchiha residence during his and his wife's mission. What are your orders, Orochimaru-sama?

_Those are the words on the piece of paper, she knows. Eight-year-old Takara is working for Orochimaru. Surely Takara does not know that such a thing is treason, punishable by death. Takara only knows what Orochimaru has told her._

"_Takara!" calls a man in front of the house. "Come down, honey! Miyu and I have to leave soon for our mission. Let's get you settled at Fugaku's."_

"'_Kay, Dad!" she calls back._

_Ignoring her father's concerned look, Takara hops down off of the roof and lands gracefully on the ground. She smiles childishly at her father, the previous look of seriousness abandoned._

"_Come here," her father says. He hugs her tightly._

"_Were you sending a message to your friend in the Grass Village again?" her father asks, smiling._

_Takara nods vigorously._

Perfect spy. No one would suspect a little girl. Not with that innocent look. Not with that cute melodious voice, that solidly pure gleam in her eyes.

"_Come on, dear," he says. "Let's get you over to the Uchiha's place."_

_She follows Takara and her father all the way to the Uchiha residence. They knock on the door of the main house and out steps Fugaku._

"_Fu," says Takara's father. "Thanks again for doing this."_

"_Not a problem, Toshio." The leader of the Uchiha clan looks down at Takara. Takara meets his gaze shyly. "Itachi's been on a lot of missions lately, so his room is vacant."_

_Her father leaves._

"_You don't like me," Takara says, almost sheepishly. Takara is almost expecting to be yelled at. Fugaku Uchiha frightens her. Her head hangs and then Takara mutters, "You're just like the rest of them. You think I'm evil."_

_He stares at her, saying nothing for a long time. Then he turns._

"_You're the spitting image of your mother, Takara," he says over his shoulder. "I warned her and now I'm warning you: there are people out there who would do anything to obtain the power you wield."_

_Takara watches his back and waits until he has almost disappeared completely into the house and then she mutters, "I look like Mother, but she said that when I was born I had my father's eyes, and when I get older they're going to change back and I'm going to have black eyes again. Only she didn't call them black, she called them ebony. Ebony irises."_

_Fugaku stops, his back still to her. After a pause, he says shortly, "Toshio Ohiko's eyes are brown."_

_Everything fades. Takara is gone, Fugaku is gone. She is left alone._

Who could be the father, then? _she thinks. _If it isn't Toshio Ohiko, who is it?

_It is raining. She is in a cemetery. She sees Takara again. This time, Takara looks about fourteen or fifteen. There is a stony look on Takara's face that she hasn't seen before. Her eyes, now a much darker sea-green, have hardened. Takara stares at the two coffins and says nothing. Fugaku stands behind her, his hands at his side. When the service ends, and when the people leave in a slow trickle until there are just the two of them, one of Fugaku Uchiha's hands comes up and rests on Takara's shoulder. He gives it a gentle squeeze._

"_I'm an orphan now," Takara says in a monotone voice._

_Fugaku stands there for just a moment more, then drops his hand and turns away from her. "You can stay with us, Takara," he says. "We have the space for you. Itachi's came back from his mission yesterday, but we have a smaller spare room."_

_Takara nods a little._

"_Training is cancelled tomorrow," Fugaku continues softly. "I'll give you some time to cope—"_

"_No," Takara says coldly. "I want you to double the training tomorrow, Fugaku-sensei. Triple it." She blinks away the rain in her eyes. "I need to learn more jutsu."_

"_Alright, Takara. Alright."_

_A little boy with black spiky hair runs up to them and takes Takara's hand, pulling her along._

"_Calm down a little, Sasuke," Takara laughs. There is no emotion in her voice, however. Her laughter is flat and fake._

_Takara hasn't really laughed since she was six._

_Fading…black returns._

Did Takara get to meet Itachi? _she wonders. _It didn't look like she'd met him before then. I wonder what he was like.

_She is in the woods, now, sitting in a tree. From her perch, she can see the entire Uchiha complex. It is deathly quiet, even for this hour of night. She watches as Takara, looking the same as on the day of the funeral, slowly approaches the door of the main house._

I wish I was closer.

_Almost instantly, she is standing beside Takara. She follows as Takara, with sudden urgency, whips open the door and dashes into the house. Takara doesn't take off her shoes, just keeps running. Running and opening and slamming doors until she opens the last one and—_

_She gasps, but Takara's face is unchanged. Takara's hands twitch at her side, but her expression remains the same as she regards the bodies of the man and woman who had housed her since the funeral. Takara moves her hand up, towards her face, and it looks as if she would wipe away a tear. Instead, the hand moves to Takara's neck and presses a button on the nearly-invisible headset._

"_Lord Orochimaru? Kabuto? It's me." Takara pauses. "They're dead. All of them." There is silence while Takara listens to her headset._

_Walking around Takara, she watches Takara's face twist into a frown._

"_Yes, I'm sure, Kabuto," Takara snaps. "I'm staring at the bloody remains of Fugaku right now."_

_She ignores Takara for a moment, looking around the room and avoiding the blood-soaked bodies in the middle of the floor. Her eye spies a shuriken lodged in the door. She approaches it. There is a small piece of black clothing pinned to the wood by the point of the shuriken, and the tiniest bit of blood specks the weapon._

"_No," Takara says, startling her. "No, he let Sasuke go alive." Takara's voice drops to a whisper. "I don't know why, but he let his little brother go alive."_

_When the world faded again and blackness returned, the moments became less in-depth. She was no longer watching them from a third party—she was watching them from Takara's perspective. It was as if she _was _Takara._

Am I? Am I Takara?

_She watched from Takara's eyes as she hacked off most of her hair with a kunai in front of a mirror._

_She watched from Takara's eyes as she walked down the street while people laughed and talked and gossiped. Whispers followed her as she walked, and when she turned the corner, almost running into a group of men, they parted like the Red Sea and went around her. They put as much distance between themselves and her as was possible._

It's like Takara has the plague. Some of them won't even look at her.

_Through Takara's eyes, she hunted down and killed ninja in a land far from the Leaf Village. Through Takara's eyes, Orochimaru taught her a number of dangerous jutsu. Through Takara's eyes, she watched as she murdered a grand total of over a hundred ninja in cold blood, because it had been required in Orochimaru's plans._

_Through Takara's eyes, she met a small blonde boy with blue eyes and a smile so bright and cheerful it was almost blinding. She watched as that same blonde boy sat on the swing outside the Academy on the first day, gazing at the other kids and their parents, all huddled together in a large, happy group outside the Academy doors. The boy's face was drawn in such a horrible sadness; there was no hint that he had ever smiled. Four women in the group glanced over at the boy unkindly and began their daily dose of hurtful gossip. Takara started towards the boy. She kneeled in front of him and smiled gently._

"_Come here," Takara said, repeating the words that had been said to her so many times, "Naruto."_

_He just stared at her for a minute. Takara opened her arms and gestured, repeating herself. His eyes going wide, he launched himself into her arms, burying his head in her chest. Takara stared coldly over the boy's shoulder at the women gossiping. They caught her eye and quickly closed their mouths, turning instead back to their children. Takara released the boy and held him at arm's length._

"_Have fun at school, Naruto," Takara said. "I hope you have a good day today."_

_Naruto nodded, enthusiasm returning. "I'll see you later, nee-chan_1_."_

_He ran off. Takara watched him, and, for the second time in just a few minutes, her soft smile was real._

"_You're going soft, Takara."_

"_Yes," Takara replied wistfully. "I suppose I am, Kabuto. The boy seems to have that effect on people. Iruka even likes him."_

_Kabuto was leaning against the tree, hidden in the shadows. No one in that happy group could see him._

"_I hope this village isn't too hard on him." She sighed with Takara. "The children are going to be especially unforgiving."_

"_He survived last year at the Academy, didn't he?" said Kabuto, shrugging. "Don't get too attached. It'll hurt when you leave and the more attached you get, the more pain he suffers."_

_Takara sighed again. "You're right, of course. Why must you be so damn logical?"_

_Kabuto smirked and said, "Isn't that what you love about me, babe?" Then the smirk vanished. "But you're the one who was dumb enough to form this friendship in the first place."_

He means the friendship with Naruto.

"_Maternal instinct took over," said Takara. "You're not a girl, you won't ever understand. That boy's got no one else. And now…"_

"_And now he's got you, an almost-mother-like figure who hasn't even turned sixteen, who is going to leave him hanging in about five or six months, who is going to emotionally hurt him so badly that he'll likely forget about you before he graduates."_

_Takara frowned. "Jackass."_

"_I know I am, but that doesn't change the facts: I'm right, you're wrong, and that boy is going to be alone all over again when you leave."_

_Takara was quiet for a while. She watched through Takara's eyes as the blonde boy ran joyously into the Academy, watched as a certain quiet black-haired boy walked behind the rest of the group, a scowl on his face._

"_Maybe," Takara said. "Maybe not."_

_Then she was running. It was nighttime, Anbu Black Ops members were chasing her, the Leaf Village was almost a day's travel behind her, and she needed to lose the ninja before she reached Orochimaru._

_She turned and threw four kunai, each armed with a paper bomb. The explosion felled trees, taking one ninja's life, and created a large smoke cloud. The other six ninja charged through the smoke in hot pursuit, and she met them halfway. The smoke crippled her enemies as she launched kicks and punches. Her goggles gave her improved vision, even in the thick smoke caused by the bombs, and she had soon incapacitated two more ninja. She executed two back flips to make it more difficult for the one sporting the sharingan, Kakashi, to see her hand signs. And then her body wavered, and slowly burned, and she was gone._

_She reappeared nearly two-hundred yards away, and sped in the direction of Orochimaru's hideout with an almost hollow sense of triumph. Takara had successfully left the Leaf Village—and Naruto, and Sasuke, and the Third Hokage—behind._

-----------------------

Gasping for breath, Takara's eyes snapped open. Kabuto was still holding her arm, but now the needle was gone. She was drenched in sweat.

"Are you all right, Takara?" he asked

"So I really am Takara?" she said blankly. "All those memories were mine, then?"

Kabuto could have cheered. The drug had worked. She had remembered everything that she needed to, and now she was Orochimaru's again. But he held back his smile.

"Why don't you get some sleep now?" he said, standing. "We have a busy time ahead of us."

Obediently, she laid down on the bed. He left the room without another word, and, the second the door was closed, burst into a huge grin. The proof that it had worked was all in her eyes. They were no longer the dark sea-green that they had reverted back to when she was eighteen.

They were a solid, glistening _black_.

* * *

A/N: mkkk. what'd u think?!?? c'mon peeps, I NEED FEEDBACK!


	12. Phase Eleven: Yes, Master

_"Or are you worried about her because you love her?"_

_Love her…love her…love—_

"Takara?"

Takara Ohiko bolts upright, gasping for air. Her hand shoots to her throat. She breathes hungrily. Then, abruptly, her pulse slows and her breathing returns to normal. She looks calmly up at the man with black hair and says, "How long was I asleep?"

Crimson eyes with three black commas around the irises stare back at her. She does not seem to notice.

"Not long," he says, handing her a glass. She gulps the water down eagerly. He waits until she is finished. "Do you know who I am?"

She smiles suddenly. Her eyes are wide with the kind of trusting innocence you would expect from a toddler. "Of course," she says. "You're Madara Uchiha. You're my master."

---------------------

Kabuto had, at this point, accepted the inevitable fact that he was going to die.

His blood, flung all over the walls, was proof. There was simply too much of it. He had his hand pressed halfheartedly to the wound on his chest, but he knew he was going to die anyway. So when the black-haired man kneeled beside of him and threatened him with death if his questions were not answered, Kabuto just laughed. The other man had said that too.

"The girl," this one said. "Where is the girl?"

That was exactly what the other man had said. Kabuto laughed again. He must be hallucinating. Oh well.

_"What girl?"_

"What girl?" he replied giddily, repeating his earlier words.

_"The girl you kidnapped, the girl you stole from me."_

"The girl you kidnapped, the girl you stole from me," this man hissed.

_"I don't know what you mean."_

"I don't know what you mean."

_"Where is Takara Ohiko?!"_

"Where is Takara Ohiko?!" The man gripped the front of Kabuto's shirt and lifted him up.

Kabuto was still laughing. "You already asked this, Madara. You took her."

The man in front of him stiffened, and his laughter vanished. This was not the same as before, this was no hallucination. He groaned. This was happening _again_.

"_Madara_?" the man said.

Kabuto said nothing, staring instead at the ever-growing pool of his own blood. The glow around his hands was fading. Soon he would have no chakra at all. And the wound was still fatal.

"Itachi," he muttered as it dawned on him. "Itachi Uchiha." He grinned, blood dripping from the corners of his mouth. "Well, well. Someone seems to care an awful lot about—"

"Shut up," Itachi growled.

Kabuto's laughter, less crazed than before, filled the room. "Or what? You'll kill me? Look around, Itachi." His grin widened when Itachi quickly surveyed the room. "I'm already a dead man. Dead men tell no tales. Isn't that the saying?" He spat blood at the other man.

It hit Itachi's cheek and slowly trickled down, but Itachi paid no heed.

"Where did Madara take her?"

"And you expect me to know?"

"Damn it, Kabuto!" Itachi shook him. "When, then? When was she taken?"

"This is delicious," Kabuto muttered. "Itachi Uchiha needs help from us."

"Us?"

"Go find Sasuke," Kabuto said, joy evident in his voice. "Sasuke knows."

Itachi dropped Kabuto. He landed on the bloody floor with a thump, and lay still against the wall. Just before he left, Itachi heard Kabuto's voice.

"I don't know much about you," he called. "But I know your reputation. Why do you care so much about this girl?"

_Because she's…_

"She's my partner."

Itachi walked out of the room, Kabuto's laughter echoing behind him.

---------------

"Sasuke."

The voice was in his mind, that much he knew.

"Shut up, Orochimaru."

"You let him take your best weapon, Sasuke," said the voice. "You let that ancient Uchiha bastard take your—"

"Shut up."

Sasuke rubbed his temples, The headache had begun that morning, had continued unceasingly. That stupid Sannin. He was still there. Sasuke had not gotten rid of him, he had merely absorbed him. And now that snake's pestering voice was trapped inside his skull—

"You have to get her back."

"I have to do no such thing." Sasuke's cold voice filled the empty room.

"Madara stole her. You have to get her back before Itachi comes calling."

"She's not an object, she's a person. Madara did not steal her," Sasuke hissed. "You saw, didn't you? She went with him. _Willingly_."

"You believed that? Ha!" Orochimaru's laughter reverberated in his head. "Naïve young boy. She's not a _person_, Sasuke-kun, she's a _weapon_. She was made for one purpose: to be used."

"How is she a weapon? Her skills aren't even comparable to Naruto's." The familiar name of his old best friend fell easily from Sasuke's tongue. He allowed himself a moment to wonder how Naruto was progressing, and then he quashed it.

"You are aware of the presence of Jinchurikis in our world, correct?"

"Yes."

"Takara is the human host for the Ten-Tailed Phoenix."

"There is no ten-tailed biju."

"Wrong, Sasuke-kun. There is. Cousin to the Zero-Tailed Leech, the Ten-Tailed Phoenix feeds off of pleasant feelings, slowly sapping it from the people around the Jinchuriki. When the only thing left is negative, the Ten-Tailed Biju unleashes it's powers and kills."

Sasuke said nothing.

"Ironically," continued Orochimaru's smug voice. "The phoenix creates light chakra."

He began to laugh again.

"You said Itachi would come for her," said Sasuke. "When he comes, I'll kill him."

---------------

Itachi's mind was racing, his thoughts scrambled for the first time in his life. He didn't stop to plan. He didn't pause to consider his options. He barged directly into the room and launched himself at the black-haired teenager he called his brother.

"When was she taken?" he demanded, holding Sasuke up by his neck.

Sasuke said nothing, staring stonily at his older brother. He had anticipated this. He had told Orochimaru he was going to kill him. But taking in his brother's appearance, the crazed expression, desperate eyes, Sasuke realized how weak Itachi was in that moment. He didn't want to fight him when he was weak.

"Why?" he asked instead. He made no move to free himself from Itachi's grasp.

Itachi stiffened.

"Why do you care when she was taken? Don't tell me you're going to try and get her back."

_Why does everyone keep asking me why I care?!_

"Just tell me when, Sasuke. When did Madara take her?" he snarled.

There was silence. Itachi activated his sharingan, nearly shaking in his anger, but it timed out on him. Blood trickled from the corners of his eyes and he winced.

_"He's your brother, 'tachi. If you explained—"_

_"I'll never tell him, Takara. He can never know."_

_"He's still your brother. You still care for him. He needs to know that."_

_Shut up! _Itachi screamed at his mind. _Shut up!_

His hands dropped from Sasuke and he took a step back.

"You're weak." Sasuke's voice was icy, the tone Itachi had come to expect.

Itachi did not answer. He turned away from his brother and calmly headed toward the door. He was better with her gone. Sasuke was right: he was weak. With her gone, he could regain his strength. He could—

"Two hours."

Itachi stopped. Two hours. _Two hours_. They couldn't have gone far!

"Later, Sasuke," he said. "Later, I will fight you."

And he vanished.

---------------

"What do you remember, Takara?"

"Everything, Master." Takara smiled as he tended to her bandages. "You saved me from Orochimaru. He and Kabuto were going to use me. He made Kabuto pretend to care for me." Her grin suddenly widened. "So I snatched his immortality jutsu and brought it to you." She swiped at a piece of hair that had fallen in her face.

Her tone of voice, her mannerisms, all belonged to the Takara that Orochimaru had re-awakened. Madara smiled. Orochimaru had done all the work for him.

"Do you know a man named Itachi Uchiha?" he asked.

"I'm her partner."

Itachi stepped out of the shadows of the room. Takara blinked at him from her seat on the bed, and Madara smiled good-naturedly.

"Ah, Itachi-san!"

"While infiltrating the Akatsuki was brilliant," said Itachi coldly, "and while I had never suspected you initially, bringing her back to Akatsuki headquarters was not very intelligent, unless you wanted me to find her."

"Why wouldn't I want you to see your beloved partner, Itachi-san?" asked Madara, opening his arms wide. He gestured to Takara. "I rescued her from Orochimaru!"

When Itachi didn't respond, Madara said, "Oh come now. You aren't upset, are you? You were lagging a little, so I went ahead and got her for you! Aren't you happy? She's safe, as you can see—"

"What did you do to her?"

"I'm insulted, Itachi-san! I wouldn't do anything to Takara-chan—"

"Master," spoke Takara suddenly, a look of confusion on her face. "Who is he?"

Itachi froze, angry expression forgotten. "That's not funny, Takara."

"How does he know my name, Master?" Fear and suspicion crept into her voice.

"Now is not the time for jokes, Takara." Itachi's tone hardened.

"Oh, I'm afraid she's not joking, Itachi-san." Madara grinned. "She's suffering from what I like to call selective memory. She remembers what I wish her to remember. I am, after all, her Master."

Madara chuckled. He looked at Itachi's eyes, relished in the emotions he saw there. Panic. Anger. Sadness. Takara's black eyes settled on her Master as she awaited orders. Itachi stopped looking at Madara, stopped caring about Madara. He spoke to Takara, and her eyes slowly drifted to him.

"'kara," he said. "My name is Itachi Uchiha. You're my partner for the Akatsuki."

"I don't have a partner," she said, shaking her head. "I am Master's subordinate."

Itachi nearly flinched. "We were assigned a mission by Pein, to go undercover in the Mirror Village. You posed as my girlfriend."

"I love Master." She frowned. "I don't need anyone else."

Seeing the barely concealed pain in Itachi's expression, Madara said, "What did I tell you, Itachi-san? She's not going to remember you, because I don't want her to. Her feelings for you were holding her back. Now, she can be what she was meant to be."

Itachi didn't look away from Takara as Madara completed his speech.

"Now, Konoha will fall."


End file.
